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Zena el Khalil
1-30 September 2021 Zena’s works are informed by sacred shamanic traditions, yogic theory and practice, as well as the Sacred Feminine in an attempt to bring to light and weave together unseen worlds reflecting upon the Hermetic expression “as above, so below”, the inner world / microcosm mirroring the Universe / macrocosm. She weaves together the ancient Tantrik tool of mantra with contemporary concepts of quantum physics reflecting on the interrelationship between vibration and form, believing that the universe may have a code for vibrational healing. Through studied techniques she invokes a shift of consciousness in order to draw directly from Spanda – the subtle creative pulse of the Universe as it manifests into the dynamism of living form. Zena el Khalil is an artist, sacred activist and Nāda yoga instructor based in Beirut, Lebanon. She uses visual art, site-specific installation, performance and ritual to explore and heal the war-torn history of Lebanon and other global sites of trauma. Merging art and healing modalities, Zena has been conducting healing ceremonies across Lebanon in spaces that have historically endured trauma and violence, such as environmental disasters, massacres and even the torturing of human beings. She has spoken at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, is a senior TED Fellow with several TED talks and her memoir Beirut, I Love You has been translated into several languages. Her work has been published by the BBC, CNN, the New York Times and the Guardian. Zena has exhibited in institutions and galleries such as the Mori Art Museum, in Japan; the Institute du Monde Arabe, Paris; the Boghossian Foundation, Brussels; the Royal College of Art, London; the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo; Galleria Giorgio Persano, Turin; the Barajeel Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates; the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Berlin; White Box, Munich; Fondazione Merz, Turin; Beit Beirut Museum; Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum Madre Museum Napoli; Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo, Palermo. Zena holds a MFA from the School of Visual Arts NYC, is a graduate of the American University of Beirut, and the Heart of Sound School in Rishikesh, India- the first and only program in the world certifying a 200 RYT certificate solely in Nāda Yoga. She also holds a +250 RYT certificate in Hatha Yoga from Indea Yoga in Mysore. Zena has trained in whirling by a Sufi master from the Mevlevi Order. She is also a Quantum Alchemy Crystal Bowls and Reiki practitioner. She is currently in training with the Foundation of Shamanic Studies and the Tantrika Institute. @MOCALondon_WE www.zenaelkhalil.com @zenaelkhalil |
Image List 1. Zena el Khalil Sufi whirling and healing ceremony in abandoned home in Aley, Lebanon, 2016 Photography 2. 174 Hz: The Harmony of the Spheres, 2019 Ash, pigment, ink and embroidery on canvas, 84 x 75 cm Translation from Arabic: 174. 285. 396. 417. 528. 639. 741. 852. 963. 3. 285 Hz: The Magnificence of the 3, 6, and 9, 2019 Ash, pigment, ink, textile and embroidery on canvas, 275 x 175 Translation from Arabic: Universal Love 4. 741Hz: Birthing the Cosmic Law (Fibonacci in Arabic), 2019 Ash, ink, pigment, embroidery on canvas, 275 x 175 cm, left detail 5. 741Hz: Birthing the Cosmic Law (Fibonacci in Arabic), 2019 Ash, ink, pigment, embroidery on canvas, 275 x 175 cm, right detail 6. Zena el Khalil Sufi whirling and healing ceremony in abandoned home in Aley, Lebanon, 2019 Photography 7. Ya Hayet Albi, 2020 Ink, acrylic on wood, 120 x 120 cm Translation from Arabic: Oh, Life of My Heart, left detail 8. Ya Hayet Albi, 2020 Ink, acrylic on wood, 120 x 120 cm Translation from Arabic: Oh, Life of My Heart, middle detail 9. Ya Hayet Albi, 2020 Ink, acrylic on wood, 120 x 120 cm Translation from Arabic: Oh, Life of My Heart, right detail 10. Spanda of Peace Blue, 2021 Ink, ash, pigment, acrylic on paper, 21 x 25 cm Translation from Arabic: Peace 11. Spanda of Peace Red, 2021 Ink, ash, pigment, acrylic on paper, 21 x 25 cm Translation from Arabic: Peace 12. Zena el Khalil whirling healing ceremony at the Cave of the Sibyl in Cumae, Italy, 2018 Photography |
