Mounira Al Solh
Exhibiting at The National Museum Cardiff
Mounira Al Solh (b 1978, Lebanon, lives and works between Beirut and Amsterdam) has had exhibitions at Museumsquartier Osnabrück, Germany (2022); BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK (2022); Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2020); Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai (2018); Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha (2018); and The Art Institute Chicago (2018).
Credit: Mounira Al Solh
She has also participated in group exhibitions including the Sharjah Biennial (2023); Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmengen, the Netherlands (2022); Busan Biennale (2022); ROZENSTRAAT, Amsterdam (2022); Musée National de Pablo Picasso–La Guerre et la Paix, Vallauris, France (2020); Palais De Tokyo, Paris (2020); Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (2020); Carré d’Art Musée d’art contemporain de Nîmes (2018); Documenta 14, Kassel and Athens (2017); Venice Biennale (2015); New Museum Triennial, New York (2012); Sharjah Biennial 9 (2009); and 11th International Istanbul Biennial (2009), among others.
She is the winner of the ABN AMRO Art Award (2023); received the Uriôt Prize from the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam (2007); and the Black Magic Woman Award, Amsterdam (2007). She was also shortlisted for the Abraaj Group Art Prize, Dubai (2015) and nominated for the Volkskrant Award, Amsterdam (2009). Her video Rawane’s Song won the jury prize at Videobrasil (2007).
She learned the double bass at the national conservatory of music in Lebanon, then studied painting at the Lebanese University in Beirut (1997–2001) and Fine Arts at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam (2003–06). She was also a research resident at Rijksakademie, Amsterdam (2007–08).
Mounira Al Solh is represented by Sfeir-Semler Gallery Hamburg/Beirut and Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp.
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Mounira Al Solh 3D Tour
Mounira Al Solh, born and raised in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war, creates work as a form of witness to the stories and lived experiences of those affected by continuing conflicts, oppression, and patriarchal regimes across the Middle East region, particularly focusing on the struggles of women. Informed by her own Lebanese-Syrian heritage, and developing work collaboratively with others, she considers the importance of oral histories and storytelling as a record of these experiences. In contrast, her paintings are a solitary practice whereby clashing realities from within the Arab world playfully emerge, breaking all borders.
Mounira Al Solh Audio Description
Listen to an audio description of Mounira Al Solh’s exhibition.
At The Table with Mounira Al Solh
As part of the At The Table series, Mounira Al Solh met in conversation with Rachel Dedman, the Jameel Curator of Contemporary Art from the Middle East at the V&A, Archeologist Sarah Mady and artist Amak Mahmoodian. The At The Table series was presented in partnership with British Council Wales.
Interview with ArtReview
Read the ArtReview interview with Mounira Al Solh here.
ArtReview is a media partner of Artes Mundi 10.