Mira El-Khalil House of Art presents STUDIO, an invitation to explore the art of Mira El-Khalil as a painter.

Featured in several publications for her art practice and 2019 solo exhibition MAWJA, El-Khalil has established herself as an emerging artist and is featured in notable private art collections across the Middle East and Europe including the MAC by Jhonny and Nadine Mokbel. In parallel to her career in the market as an art specialist, the painter has received several scholastic awards for her achievements in painting and was a student of the painting school of Fabriano. She had her second solo exhibition, HOSN, in the fall of 2022 in London

El-Khalil has been featured in several group exhibitions across the city of Beirut, alongside established Lebanese-known artists such as Paul Guiragossian, Jean-Marc Nahhas, and Tom Young.

The artist can be found on the database Artprice for her work appearing at auction.

Mira El-Khalil – Holiday Inn Beirut 1 – Oil on Canvas – 2019

The most popular subject matter in Mira El-Khalil’s paintings is the old Holiday Inn hotel in Beirut. Re-creating the landscape of the building was the only way the artist can re-invent the meaning and visual image of the Holiday Inn. With dynamic colors and the usage of several mediums, the building, that was once the victim of the 1975 Lebanese civil war is turned into an homage to the sustained life in the city of Beirut. Beirut faced socio-political and economic trials over many years and yet remains a place of re-birth where, with every hardship, comes a new opportunity to re-establish life in the city.

After her 2019 solo exhibition MAWJA, Mira El-Khalil was featured in the Arabic-written Annahar newspaper in an article by Roula Muawad:

The development of Mira El-Khalil’s art practice began during her presentation of Arts A Levels at the British International School of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Her project focused on Beirut’s landscape and the definition of the city’s identity through its buildings. The old Holiday Inn building stood out during her research as it faced her family home back in Beirut. The young painter’s project won her academic commendations for high levels of attainments in Art. From then on, El-Khalil’s work on the Holiday Inn Beirut developed in mediums and sizes as she progressed her career in arts and business.

There now exists three oil paintings of the Holiday Inn Beirut by Mira El-Khalil. The first version (2019) is owned by Al Mawared Bank in a private art collection with other Holiday Inn paintings by established artists from Lebanon. The second version of the Holiday Inn Beirut was commissioned in 2020 for a private collection and inspired a series of mixed-media prints created by the artist.

Mira El-Khalil – Holiday Inn Beirut 3 – Oil on Canvas 195×190 – 2022

Mira El-Khalil – Holiday Inn Beirut Print – Edition 1 – 2020

After the success of the artist’s first solo exhibition in the fall of 2019, several collectors became interested in acquiring a painting of the Holiday Inn Beirut. Once she completed the first commission of 2020, Mira El-Khalil decided to create a new way to produce versions of her Holiday Inn, without having to use the medium of paint. The painter took high-definition images of her painting and began to explore the realm of digital art by digitally manipulating her painting to create her first set of prints. After the first set of prints of the Holiday Inn sold out, the artist was approached by an established Lebanese collector who encouraged the production of unique prints for their collection. Following the suggestion, the artist produced a series of mixed-media pieces of photo-matte prints with an added layer of acrylic paint. Next came The Giant Print, two huge black and white prints, and the third one embellished with purple acrylic paint. All part of private collections.  In 2021, the artist released the Psyche series which presented a fluorescent version of the Holiday Inn with some pieces adorned by polka dots in the building’s sky. In 2022, with the completion of her third oil painting of the Holiday Inn, the artist presents the Love Print, a series of prints to remember the summer of 2022.

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In the fall of 2022, Mira El-Khalil presented her second solo exhibition at Marie Jose Gallery in London.

HOSN The Exhibition Curatorial Statement:

“Affected by her Lebanese roots, the artist from Beirut cherishes the clamorous history of her city. Living mostly abroad, she made sure to hold on to visual memories the best she could during each visit. The most striking memory was that of the burnt-by-war Holiday Inn Hotel. An enormous block of cement separating East and West Beirut. The building became El-Khalil’s muse and continued to intrigue her throughout her matured art practice. With dynamic colors, using oil painting, and several other mediums, HOSN allows the artist to share her fascination with an image that summarized her place of belonging. The building, which was once the victim of the 1975 Lebanese civil war is turned into an homage to the sustained life in the city of Beirut. Beirut faced socio-political and economic trials over many years and yet remains a place of re-birth where, with every hardship, comes a new opportunity to re-establish life in the city.

The exhibition showcases a variety of works by the artist inspired by her time in Beirut. A portrait of her brother presents a symbol of youth and is a nod to the burgeoning generations in the city of Beirut who will inherit the misfortune of their ancestors all while being the undoubtable hope for Lebanon’s survival. Certain pieces around the exhibit will include intricate shapes inspired by a mind-map completed by the artist across several visits to Beirut. Other pieces are reminiscent of moments spent in the city.

El-Khalil is very proud to be exhibiting her second solo exhibition in London. The city of London is very dear to the artist, and while she is inspired by Beirut, she paints in London.”