Rola Souheil: Repetition, Memory, and the Human Face
For Rola Souheil, art is inseparable from the human experience, as expression and as process. A multidisciplinary Lebanese artist working across visual art, music, and performance, her practice is deeply shaped by her background in fine arts, theatre, and psychosocial support. Over the years, she has developed a body of work that moves fluidly between inner exploration and collective memory, using art not only as a creative outlet but as a tool for reflection, resilience, and connection.
Her visual language is rooted in expressionism, often centered around the human face. Portraits - distorted, repeated, layered - become carriers of emotion, memory, and identity. In her recent works, repetition emerges as a visual and conceptual anchor: faces multiply, lines echo, and patterns accumulate, creating a rhythm that feels at once meditative and urgent. This repetition is not decorative; it is structural, almost ritualistic, reflecting cycles of thought, feeling, and existence.
During her Spring 2026 residency at Kulturnest, this approach became more pronounced. Working in the garden while navigating an unstable context, Rola developed a series of works where repetition functions as a form of grounding. Through gel printing, layered textures, and bold color contrasts, she constructs compositions that oscillate between fragmentation and cohesion. Her pieces hold tension, but also offer moments of stillness, spaces where the act of making becomes a quiet form of endurance.
At the intersection of art and psychology, Rola’s practice also extends into her work with communities, where she uses artistic processes to facilitate expression and healing. This dimension is subtly present in her work: each face, each mark, feels individual and collective, personal and shared.
In this conversation, she reflects on her practice, her process, and what it means to create and continue creating in Lebanon today.
Kulturnest: Can you briefly introduce yourself and your artistic background?
Rola Souheil: I am a Lebanese multidisciplinary artist working across visual art, music, and performance. My background in fine arts and theatre informs a practice that moves between image, sound, and storytelling, alongside my work in psychosocial support.
Kulturnest: How would you describe your artistic practice and main medium(s)?
Rola Souheil: My artistic practice is built on two main approaches: painting and printmaking. My style is rooted in expressionism, which I explore through human portraits, abstraction, and gel printing.
Kulturnest: What themes or questions currently drive your work?
Rola Souheil: I explore memory, identity, and everyday emotional life in Lebanon. I am interested in how simple moments carry collective histories.
Kulturnest: What have you been developing during your Spring 2026 residency at Kulturnest Garden?
Rola Souheil: At Kulturnest, I focused on repetition as a meditative process. Through repeating faces, lines, and forms, alongside gel printing, I developed a visual rhythm that creates a sense of calm and continuity.
Kulturnest: What does this residency mean to you personally and professionally?
Rola Souheil: Kulturnest helped me rebuild a strong connection with my artistic practice in a supportive and inspiring environment, while also connecting me to a community of contemporary artists.
Kulturnest: What are some of the challenges you face as an artist in Lebanon today?
Rola Souheil: In Lebanon, safety and stability are constant concerns. Still, I see art as a form of resistance and expression. My “Lebnaniyat” series reflects this, as a visual archive of memory and the present.
Kulturnest: What are your next steps or plans?
Rola Souheil: I am developing gel printing as a visual language while expanding my work as a musician, to bring sound and image together into one interdisciplinary practice. I am interested in how rhythm, repetition, and layering exist in both mediums, creating a shared emotional space. I also aim to integrate this approach into expressive arts and group work, using it as a tool for connection, reflection, and collective experience.
