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Lebanese artist Rana Hatem Slim transforms the pain of the August 4, 2020 Beirut Port explosion into luminous abstract paintings celebrating resilience and joy. Her solo exhibition Blooming Joy at Gemspace Art Gallery offers an intimate look at how beauty can emerge from collective grief. The artist answers This is Beirut’s questions.

Gemspace Art Gallery, tucked in the heart of Beirut, is hosting the solo exhibition of artist Rana Hatem Slim. Titled Blooming Joy, the collection invites visitors into a luminous, sensory world where color and emotion intertwine to celebrate joy in all its forms. Rana Hatem Slim spoke to This is Beirut about her work.

In the gentle chaos of Gouraud Street, a wave of emotion returns joy’s colors to the Lebanese capital. Gemspace Art Gallery opens its doors to the vivid, flamboyant world of Rana Hatem Slim. Blooming Joy, her latest exhibition, unfolds like a burst of colorful light — a shy yet assertive hymn to joy through her canvases. In today’s chaos, it is an invitation to pause, look, cherish the moment, and see the world differently, if only for one evening in Beirut.

For this project, Rana Hatem Slim emphasizes that her use of bright colors is not habitual but instinctive. “I highlight vibrant hues that symbolize vitality, positivity, and growth. When it comes to expressing joy and life, luminous colors are essential to my creative process,” she explains. “They carry the positive energy I want to share — creating an immediate, emotional connection with the viewer.”

Her medium is acrylic on canvas. “It allows me to fully express spontaneity and intensity, while giving me the freedom to experiment with textures, color blends, and a variety of tools. The abstract, contemporary painting I practice lets me explore a free visual language that reflects my emotions in the moment and invites a truly visual and emotional ‘joy,’” she says. This joy springs from her deeply emotional creative process. For Slim, her art reflects her feelings but above all, “a desire to honor the strength of the spirit in choosing light and positivity, even in darkness or difficult times. For me, these experiences are an integral part of our human journey — trials that, if we have the will, can help us grow, be reborn, strengthen our resilience, and give meaning to our path. We emerge stronger.” For her, Blooming Joy is “a true ode to this philosophy of life” and “an invitation to choose the light,” born of an unshakable faith in life.

Rana Hatem Slim’s artistic journey began in collective grief, in the suffocating sense of injustice hanging over Beirut, within Lebanon, and in the broken hearts of mourning mothers. “Painting came to me after August 4, 2020, after the double explosion at the port of Beirut. This tragic event triggered an overflow of emotions, an urgent need for expression. Unable to find words powerful enough to speak, art played a pivotal role, like therapy in the face of horror,” she recalls. “It all began in front of a blank sheet, with the impulse to give life to my emotions.”

In the beginning, her works were dark. She describes them as “a faithful reflection of my feelings at the time.” Then, as a self-taught artist, she dared to experiment with various materials, playing with color mixing through different tools, trying to decipher her “artistic-emotional” language.

Her sincerity and the strength of her work have resonated with many viewers and caught the attention of international curators. She went from door to door, shaping her evolution by exploring new creative realms. Her artistic career has taken flight, and Blooming Joy now symbolizes transformation, growth, and rebirth — “a moment of immense pride” imbued with “excitement, gratitude, humility, and happiness.”

After gaining recognition on the international art scene, this milestone is now celebrated in Lebanon. Rana Hatem Slim is “deeply moved” by the openness, sensitivity, joy, emotion, and empathy with which her work has been received. “This emotional dialogue confirmed for me the power of art as a universal connector, capable of sparking authentic and varied feelings. Seeing my paintings stir such emotion and lead to different interpretations has given me a sense of accomplishment and legitimacy,” she says, strengthening her desire to keep evolving and investing in her art.

The exhibition runs through August 20. On an additional note, Rana Hatem Slim has also joined the circle of permanent artists at Gemspace Art Gallery.