About

Wall painting and surface finishing are central to Chafa Ghaddar’s practice. She explores the use of fresco as a contemporary mode of making, as well as other techniques, and works equally with murals, painting, drawing, photography, and mixed media.

The artist executes site-specific and public artworks, and has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Beirut, Dubai, New York, Brussels, and Verona. Her latest was a solo show at Maraya Art Center, Sharjah. In 2022, Ghaddar was commissioned to produce a site-specific work for the 16th Lyon Biennale, Manifesto of Fragility, curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath. She has been awarded several artist fellowships and residencies, including the Tashkeel Studio Critical Practice Program in 2018/2019 (with a solo exhibition), the Salama Emerging Artist Fellowship (SEAF, 2018), and the artist-in-residence program at the Villa Empain (Brussels, 2015), which also awarded her the Boghossian Art Prize for painting in 2014.

Ghaddar graduated from Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA), where she earned her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts degree in 2007 and a Master’s in Visual Arts in 2009. In 2012, she attended an intensive course in fresco and traditional painting techniques in Florence, Italy, an experience that continues to inform her practice today. In 2024 she completed a 6-month teaching artist fellowship awarded by DCT.

Ghaddar has been developing a teaching practice across notable art institutions in the UAE such as NYU Abu Dhabi, Istituto Marangoni, Dubai and The Arts Club, Dubai.

Philosophy and DNA

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    Painting Walls

    With a passion for wall painting, Ghaddar developed her skills by attending different workshops that engage walls and surfaces in commercial commissions. Murals form a center of interest and are equally present in her artworks and decorative projects. With time, her practice became a moving laboratory, allowing her to experiment with new techniques, be familiarized with a range of surfaces and develop craftsmanship.
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    Traditional Painting Techniques

    After attending an intensive course in fresco and decorative painting methods in Florence, Italy, Ghaddar developed an interest in historical painting techniques, materials and studio practices. She became familiar with a wide range of procedures such as the authentic buon fresco and scraffito, gilding and old master’s glazing, encaustic paint and Venetian plasters, amongst others. Since then, she has been experimenting with these methods while merging them with her contemporary art practice.
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    Artworks

    In her practice Ghaddar attempts to address questions on the trace and the different approaches to intervene on walls and surfaces. Her works suggests a constant negotiation with time and its manifestation on spaces, objects and memory. She explores the use and processes of natural painting techniques in contemporary practices and work with murals, paintings, drawings, photography and mixed media.  The fresco technique constitutes a major part of her research and productions. 

  • Education

    2009 – MA in Visual Arts and New Media, ALBA (Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts), Beirut

    2007 – BA in Fine Arts, ALBA (Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts), Beirut

    Professional Training

    2023–2024 – Teaching Artist Fellowship, Art Studio, Abu Dhabi

    2022–2023 – Nominated for SEAF (Salama Bint Hamdan Emerging Artist Fellowship)

    2018–2019 – Selected by Tashkeel Studio, Dubai, for the Critical Practice Program (CPP)

    Certified Workshops & Courses

    2020 – Criticism and Critique with Kevin Jones

    2018–2019 – Critical Dialogues with Kevin Jones, Tashkeel

    2017–2018 – Critical Dialogues with Kevin Jones, Tashkeel

    2017–2018 – Campus Art Dubai

    2012 – Certified courses at FlorenceArt Studio of Decorative Arts, Florence, Italy

    (Instructors: Alison Wolley, Marco Cavallini, Carlo V. Mori)

    2009 – Conceptual Photography Workshop with Eric Poitevin

    2009 – Conceptual Photography Workshop with Suzanna Reismann

    2009 – Photojournalism Workshop with Robin Laurance

    2008 – Photography Workshop with Wolfgang Bellwinkel

    Professional Experience

    2011–Present – Freelance surface finishing, murals, and bespoke wall interventions

    Execution of murals in artistic and commercial fields

    Management of artisans and collaborations with architects, contractors, decorators, and private clients

    Consulting on painting solutions for walls and surfaces

    2009–2010 – Intern, decorative painting studios Beirut

    (Atelier d’Art Peint Rima Yafi & Nathalie Yared Peinture Décorative)

    Public Art Works & Commissions

    2023 – I am Still Learning, tile mural at Al Safa Library, Dubai — Commissioned by Art Dubai, curated by Amanda Abi Khalil, supported by Tashkeel & DCAA

    2021 – The Fifth Month, fresco mural, Mar Mikhaël, Beirut

    2017–2023 – Commission for permanent public artwork — Art Dubai A.I.R. Program with Dubai Cultural Authority & Tashkeel (In progress)

    Private Commissions

    2011–Present – Over 25 frescoes, murals, and surface interventions in private residences

    Corporate Commissions

    2014–Present – Murals and surface finishes at:

    Kempinski Summerland Hotel & Resort (Beirut), Matto Dubai, Matto Beirut, Boutique Hotel Beirut, Ravioli & Co. Dubai, Arts Cocktail Bar Beirut

    Assisting Projects

    2014 – Breath is a Sculpture — Assistant to artist Giuseppe Penone for Propagazione mural at Beirut Art Center

    Collaborative Projects & Exhibitions

    2025 – Hermès Collaboration: Large-scale fresco mural, private event (100 Years of Hermès Women’s Ready-to-Wear)

    2025 – Hermès Collaboration: Four window designs, Flagship Store, Dubai Mall

    2025 – Gucci × VCA × Chafa Ghaddar, private exhibitions and workshops (Dubai & Doha)

    2024 – Gucci Art Program, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

    2020 – KJCHAPTERVII, collaboration with Krikor Jabotian, Beirut

    2017 – Strata, fresco mural collaboration, Design Days Dubai

    2016 – Reincarnation, backdrop painting, Krikor Jabotian, Beirut

    2012 – On Fleeting Grounds, group show, Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Beirut

    2010 – Visuals of a City in Flux, UNESCO, Beirut

    Selected Group Exhibitions

    2025 – The Power of Intention, Milano, curated by Bebe Leone

    2021 – In Real Time, NYU Abu Dhabi

    2021 – How Will It End?, Fondation Boghossian, Brussels

    2021 – I Am One Acquainted with the Night, Studio La Città, Verona

    2018 – Made in Tashkeel, Dubai

    2017 – Feminités Plurielles, Galerie Tanit, Beirut

    2016 – City and City, The Arnold & Sheila Aronson Galleries, New York

    2015 – L’espace de la feuille, Galerie Tanit, Beirut

    2014 – Nostalgic Imagery, Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Beirut

    2014 – Journey Through Our Heritage, Beirut Exhibition Centre

    2011 – Beirut Past and Present, Art Lounge & Kaslik University

    2010 – Space of Crime, Maaser el Chouf, Lebanon

    2009 – Tout un Chacun, VI Jeux de la Francophonie, UNESCO, Beirut

    Solo Exhibitions

    2024 – Your Sun That Kept Setting, Maraya Art Center, Sharjah

    2023 – Beneath Latent Skies, Tabari Artspace, Dubai

    2021 – Cacti in a Daydream, Galerie Tanit, Beirut

    2019–2020 – Recesses, Tashkeel Studios and Galleries, Dubai

    2018 – The Visit, Galerie Tanit, Beirut

    Art Fairs

    2024 – Art Dubai, Tabari Artspace

    2023 – Abu Dhabi Art (collaboration with Alfred Basbous Foundation & Tabari Artspace)

    2022 – MENART FAIR Paris, Galerie Tanit

    2021 – MENART FAIR Paris, Une Histoire de Bleu, Galerie Tanit

    2018 – Beirut Art Fair, Galerie Tanit

    2018 – Art Dubai, Galerie Tanit

    Biennale

    2022 – Commissioned artist, 16th Lyon Biennale Manifesto of Fragility, curated by Sam Bardaouil & Till Fellrath

    Residencies & Awards

    2015 – Boghossian Art Foundation, Brussels (Artist Residency)

    2014 – Boghossian Art Prize for Painting

    2007 – Scholarship, ENSBA Paris

    Collections

    Public – Boghossian Art Foundation (Brussels), Tashkeel Art Foundation (Dubai), Fondation Saradar (Beirut)

    Corporate – Byblos Bank Headquarters (Beirut)

    Private – Undisclosed

    Teaching, Workshops & Lectures

    (Selected highlights – 2020–2025)

    Hermès GCC Seminar — Experimental Drawing Workshop

    Jameel Arts Centre — Artist-led Masterclass & Workshops

    Istituto Marangoni Dubai — Professor, Fine Art Studies & Co-tutor for Experimental Styling

    NYU Abu Dhabi — Visiting Tutor, MFA Workshops

    Sharjah Art Foundation — Paper as Skin, Paper as Space Workshop

    Tashkeel Studios — Magic of Pigments and Egg Tempera, Overlay, Make Your Own Tile

    The Arts Club, Dubai — Painting with Pigments Masterclass

    Talks & Interviews

    2023 – The Power of Storytelling, FEMMEFEST

    2022 – In Conversation, Gadagne Museum, Lyon

    2020 – Memory: The Passing of Time and Place, SELECTIONS Magazine

    2019 – The Visit, Galerie Tanit — with Kevin Jones

    2018 – Powerplay: Gallerist, Collector, Curator, Artist, Art Dubai

    Technical Abilities

    Traditional painting (Buon Fresco, Scraffito, Encaustic, Tempera)

    Drawing & Photography

    Surface Finishing & Decorative Techniques

    Project & Team Management

    Languages

    Arabic (Fluent)

    French (Fluent)

    English (Fluent)

News

Lebanese Artist Chafa Ghaddar Dives Deep Into the Vulnerability of Walls
Rawaa Talass, Architectural Digest, February 25, 2025
Standout Works at the 2022 Biennale de Lyon
From Erotically Charged Sculptures to a Dystopian Jungle-Like Installation. Sarah Belmont, ARTnews, September 30, 2022
The Power Issue - ART DUBAI CONTEMPORARY
ELLE Arabia, February, 2024
Art Dubai Highlights the City’s Growing Appeal with Asian Collectors
Artsy, Arun Kakar, May 4, 2024
The Residues of Elsewhere 
Kevin Jones, 2018 
Tabari Artspace presents a powerful and feminine showcase of artists at Art Dubai
Maan Jalal, The National, February 29, 2024

Get in touch

chafaghaddar@gmail.com

Instagram

Chafa's Contemporary Art Practice

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