Growing Together: The Spirit of the EcoArt Market at Kulturnest

This past weekend, on May 17 & 18, 2025, and despite the extreme heatwave and Beirut's municipal elections, Kulturnest opened its doors for the second chapter of our EcoArt Market, a gathering of creators, dreamers, and changemakers who came together to share not only their work but also their spirit.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every single artist and visitor who made this journey possible. You are the soul of this event. Your presence reminded us that even amidst the weight of a country shaken by war, crises, corruption, and a suffocating absence of institutional support, solidarity still lives in stubborn hands, in recycled scraps turned into art, and in the quiet power of community.

In a place where waste piles high and beauty often feels buried, our EcoArt Market was a gentle but firm rebellion. A market, yes, but more than that, a movement. A collective decision to respond to collapse not with despair, but with creation. To answer brokenness not with silence, but with stitching, sculpting, brewing, planting, and painting.

This year, over 25 eco-conscious creatives participated, each offering more than just objects; they offered pieces of themselves. Upcycled fashion, repurposed metalwork, handmade jewelry, natural dyes, sustainable homeware, etc. Waste transformed into wonder. And through it all, conversations bloomed. Between artists. Between strangers. Between those just discovering this world and those who’ve long been sowing its seeds.

It wasn’t just about what was sold. It never really is. It was about transformations, because of the visibility it gives to artists, the friendships that form, the encouragement that lingers long after the last visitor leaves. These are the building blocks of something bigger.

In a country that often forgets to care for its artists, we care for each other. And slowly, step by step, not alone but together, we grow.

Until the next chapter... With gratitude and hope.

* Participants:

Garden: Second Concept, Emberly Bliss, Wootton, Fairylistiic, Juyla, Alia Beydoun, ritreasure.art, Twist of Art, Hola et Bye, Roq'aa, Bottle of Light, Malac

Indoors - Kulturnest's concept store partners: 500 miles, Annine Fadye, Echo her Eco, Fady Salamé, Ingrid Swave, Tala Beydoun, Sarkis Assadourian, Rayya Nizar Salim, Terre de Brumes, Third Eye Arts, K-arts by Khaled El Adem, Artists of Beirut Boutique,...

& Rania Talal's (Dragoast & Steampunk) live demonstration on organic coffee.