In March 2016 La Cantine du Faubourg welcomed Nadine Kanso, who in herself and through her work, is the very DNA of Dubai. Although Lebanon is her country of birth, Dubai has become her world of expression.
She has experienced the city’s creative awakening and enthusiastic expansion over the past 17 years. From her roots to her new home of adoption, Nadine Kanso’s work explores new ways to express what it means to be an Arab in today’s world. Crying out Beirut’s dualism of both suffering and joy, underlining Dubai’s ambivalent shapes, both extravagantly materialistic and humanly authentic.
Her message is a message of optimism, written out in the ancient art of calligraphy, throughout her photography, collages and now, the walls of La Cantine du Faubourg. This creative dialogue masterfully confronts issues of cultural identity, offering very personal insight yet allowing room for the individual to ponder.