Zena el Khalil is a visual artist, writer and cultural agitator based in Beirut. Her work includes paintings and immersive mixed media installations. Through her collective, xanadu*, she runs a small publishing house that supports young poets in the Middle East. During the 2006 invasion of Lebanon, she was one of the first largely followed Middle Eastern bloggers; and was published by the international press. Her book, Beirut, I Love You, is translated into several languages and is in the process of becoming a feature film. In an attempt to spread peace, Zena is often seen running around Beirut in a big pink wedding dress.

Zena has exhibited internationally, she has also held solo exhibitions in Lagos, London, Munich, Turin and Beirut. Her work has also been shown at institutions such as the Mori Art Museum, Japan; Institute du Monde Arabe, Paris; the Boghossian Foundation, Brussels; Royal College of Art, London; National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo; Barajeel Art Foundation, UAE; the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Berlin; White Box, Munich; and the Fondazione Merz, Turin to name a few. Her exhibition, “Ou Ali Mama3ou Khabar”, was commended by the Freedom To Create Prize and she was also a finalist for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize. She is a TED Fellow.

zenaelkhalil.com