Born in Lebanon in 1957, Hanibal Srouji studied in Lebanon and Canada and has been living between Beirut and Paris since 1989. His muted canvases which appear abstract at first glance, are in fact inspired by the artist’s own memories. He is best known for using a blow torch to create small holes that resemble bullet holes found on dilapidated buildings, or vertical lines that break the painting’s surface and are said to allude to imprisonment and entrapment. Whether burning his canvases or embellishing them with neon tubing, Srouji is constantly seeking new ways to convey his ideas visually. The artist received his BFA and MFA in Painting from Concordia University, Canada, and later received a D.N.S.E.P in Fine Arts from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes, France. He has exhibited in numerous exhibitions in Abu Dhabi, Basel, California, Dubai, Geneva, London, Montreal, New York, Paris, Strasbourg, Singapore, and Tokyo. Srouji lives and works in Beirut where he is the Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at the Lebanese American University.
