At Buro247 Middle East, we are committed to showcasing and celebrating the extraordinary talent in the Arab world. With our column, #BuroSpotlights, we bring you stories of pioneering artists, innovative designers, tech trailblazers, cinematic visionaries, sports stars, and more.
This week, #BuroSpotlights Lebanese artist Ihab Ahmad.
There is a certain freedom in Ihab Ahmad’s work that feels almost radical. In a world that constantly asks for explanations, his art invites you to pause, look, and imagine without being told what to think. His canvases do not dictate meaning. Instead, they open a door and quietly step aside, allowing each viewer to construct their own story.
Born in Beirut in 1983, Ihab Ahmad studied Visual Communication Art at the Lebanese University, grounding his creative instincts in structure and design. That foundation is evident in his confident use of form, repetition, and geometry. Over time, workshops in silkscreen printing, painting, and drawing further sharpened his visual language, giving him the technical range to move fluidly between mediums.
Visually, Ahmad’s paintings are bright, rhythmic, and instantly recognizable. Simple images are reworked into joyful shapes and layered patterns, creating compositions that feel both spontaneous and carefully balanced. Beneath the surface, his work often explores universal harmony and the relationship between humanity and nature. These themes appear not as heavy concepts, but as visual conversations woven into color, shape, and repetition.
Recurring symbols anchor his imaginative universe. Fish, eyes, and trees appear again and again, interlaced with bold patterns and geometric forms. Each symbol feels open-ended, familiar yet undefined, encouraging viewers to project their own meanings onto the work. An eye might suggest awareness or protection. A tree might speak to growth, memory, or resilience. Ahmad leaves that interpretation intentionally fluid, trusting the audience to complete the narrative.
There is also an unmistakable sense of childhood joy running through his work, paired with an awareness of the challenges that come with growing up. Ahmad has often spoken about painting as a way to let go of frustration and return to dreaming. For him, art becomes a quiet act of hope. If change feels out of reach, imagination is still available to everyone. That belief gives his work an emotional generosity that resonates far beyond aesthetics.
This outlook has carried Ahmad’s work well beyond Lebanon. He has exhibited internationally, with shows in Beirut, Miami, China, Italy, France, and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Despite this global presence, his work remains deeply personal, rooted in the desire to offer something uplifting to his generation and to anyone searching for lightness without denial of reality.
In Ahmad’s world, dreaming is not escapism. It is a form of resilience. His art reminds us that joy can coexist with difficulty, and that imagination can be both playful and purposeful. For viewers willing to slow down and engage, his work offers something increasingly rare: permission to feel hopeful, curious, and free to interpret.
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