Kulturnest Celebrates Two Years
Kulturnest celebrated its second anniversary on October 28, 2025. When we opened in the fall of 2023, following 8 months of restoration and preparation, people kindly suggested we wait for “better timing.” We looked around - war, economic freefall, a national relationship with electricity best described as “complicated”, a quasi-absent State, low budget, etc. - and did it anyway. Sensible? Possibly not. Necessary? Absolutely.
In the past twenty-four months, we have had great exhibitions and art markets, great conversations, and great moments of “Is that the drone again?” We have learned that nothing tests curatorship like hanging a show in 40 minutes before the next outage or explosion, and nothing tests diplomacy like the occasional wakko cases. Still, we kept going. Because every time someone walks in and finds a piece that speaks to them - really speaks, past the headlines and the noise -you can feel the room exhale.
The best part has been the people. More than 235 artists have shared work with us: Lebanese, expat, international... each bringing stories, craft, and the brave decision to keep making. Visitors who turned five-minute peeks into hour-long chats. Clients who chose handmade over mass-made and 'brands', and kept a living ecosystem alive. Friends and family who carried plinths, brewed last-minute coffee, sent voice notes at 1 a.m., and never once said “I told you so.”
We are still here because culture isn’t a luxury for quiet times; it’s a way of staying human in loud ones. Year three won’t be calmer (we have learned not to jinx it), but it will be deeper, and there will hopefully be more chances for emerging voices, more small wins against the blackout schedule, and more reminders that care is a practice.
If you have been meaning to visit, to collaborate, to show work, to collect, or just to sit and argue gently about a painting, consider this your invitation. If you have supported us already, stay close; we are only just getting our stride. And if you want to see what’s next, you know where to click: kulturnest.com and-or @thekulturnest (Instagram & Facebook).
Thank you, all of you, for keeping this nest warm, wired, and wonderfully alive.
