Elie Bourgely was born in 1960 and studied Fine Art and Art History in Beirut and Paris receiving his doctoral studies in Art History followed by a post-graduate diploma (DEA) in Art History (Paris IV University – Sorbonne, Paris – France). His mixed-media installation works are comprised of found objects that include collected materials from Lebanon’s streets and forests. His canvasses are also made up of glued paper, cloth, stones, or sand to create textural tapestries born of a specific time and place. The inclusion of collected objects acts as personal traces that are integral to Bourgely’s creative process. In his words: “My art is therapy for memory, it awakens the deeply hidden secrets that our mind struggles to hide.” He has participated in numerous group shows across the Arab world and Europe and held solo shows in Lebanon, France, and Belgium. Bourgely currently works and teaches Art History in Lebanon, where he also held the Head of the Plastic Arts Section at the Lebanese University, Beirut.
