For her new solo exhibition in Riyadh, Lebanese artist Lana Khayat is drawing on the language of flowers and ancient script to project her musings. Titled ‘The White Lilies of Marrakech: Women as Timeless Narratives’, the show features vibrant canvasses inspired by the rich cultural heritage of Morocco, as an homage to Jardin Majorelle’s 100th year.
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Her new paintings explore the use of the white lily – found in the iconic garden – as a symbol of femininity, resilience and strength. It is a theme that resonates deeply with the artist: As the first woman artist in a family with a rich artistic lineage – her great- grandfather, Mohamad Suleiman Khayat, contributed the creation and restoration of traditional Syrian Ajami rooms and his work has been showcased at many prestigious institutions around the world such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; her grandfather furthered that influence and her father explored creativity through architecture – Khayat’s work has challenged inherited expectations and strives to create spaces that honour the legacy of women.
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“Marrakech, a historic cultural crossroads, embodies the fusion of tradition and modernity – central to my work. Its Berber, Arab, and Andalusian influences make it the perfect backdrop for exploring identity, language, and transformation,” Khayat tells AD. “Cobalt blue has always been the prominent colour in my work and it's also very present in Jardin Majorelle, which spoke to me.
“There’s also the cyclical nature of growth and rebirth of plants, which survive despite many odds, and so used the white lily as a symbol for how women have been doing the same thing for generations,” adds the Lebanese artist. “I’ve also always been interested in studying ancient written word such as Phoenician scripts, Arabic calligraphy, and recently I’ve been looking at ancient Amazigh Tifinagh.”
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The show presents 21 artworks, ranging in size, some taking more geometric forms using the various ancient scripts, and others more abstract, blending colours with swirling brushstrokes.
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An installation of 100 50 x 50 cm artworks directly celebrates the garden’s centennial, placed together to form a checkerboard of blue, white, pink and red, all etched with script. The four colours represent key aspects of the garden, such as green for the cacti and blue for the villa’s ultramarine walls.
“My work is always a form of self-expression and is my way of amplifying human voices and showing that the woman is no longer the muse, as it was before, but rather the creator, storyteller, visionary, and cultural custodian,” Khayat says. “In terms of visual representation, I like to compare calligraphy to geometry; how the calligraphy is delicate like women and how geometry follows a certain enduring movement or rhythm.
“I see women as preservers and transformers of heritage rather than keepers of heritage, which is what I try to present in my work,” she adds. “I see our heritage as our legacy, and I try to keep it alive through the script I use in my paintings, bridging past and present.”
Khayat’s ability to transform historical traditions into bold modern narratives gives the paintings a sense of timelessness. Though the script on her artworks is not necessarily phrases or words, they form shapes and patterns that she leaves open to audience interpretation, instead of grounding the ephemeral canvas by dictating their meaning.
She hopes that the exhibition can be a meditative moment of reflection for viewers, where, like Jardin Majorelle, beauty can be found amidst the harshest of climates. @lanakhayatstudio, @hafezgallery
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