Zena El Khalil

Born in London, England, El Khalil spent her childhood in Nigeria and then attended high school in England. She then went to Beirut where she attained her undergraduate degree from the American University in Beirut.

In 2002, El Khalil received her Masters of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

El Khalil works in a variety of formats ranging from painting, installation, performance, mixed media, writing, video, and collage. Themes that are central to her work include issues of violence as well as gender.

In her work, photocopied images of militiamen and women, civilians and family members are embellished with everything from plastic flowers, glitter, strings of lights, keffiyehs, plastic toy soldiers, toy AK-47s, arabesques, beads, fabrics, and other objects that best convey the diversity of the city she takes her inspiration from. She has exhibited in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She has had solo exhibitions in London, Munich, and Beirut. El Khalil currently lives and works in Beirut.