In our journey of discovering new talents and emerging artists, we’ve stumbled upon Melinda Mouzannar, and boy, what a gem! She is a Lebanese multi-disciplinary artist, who has majored in 2D/3D Animation from l’Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts and has been working in the field ever since.

While her main focus is animation, she takes on a variety of projects ranging from illustration to video editing and 3D art.

What differentiates her from other artists is the courage to speak her truth, the way she tackles subjects like culture, social activism, body positivity, empathy, reality’s hardships.

Her artwork often comprises a blast of flashy colors entailing thought-provoking issues. One of the subjects she has tackled was the Lebanese 2019 Uprising, which was depicted in a few short animations and illustrations.

Among 558 international submissions, her illustrated Revolution series How Would You Feel? won The Social Art Award, established by The Institute for Art and Innovation in Berlin.

We congratulate her for her stunning work and invite you guys to get a glimpse into her talent. through the following interview.

WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

Creating. Whether it’s illustrating on paper, animating frame by frame, dabbling in 3D art, designing jewelry, decorating spaces, baking or even sewing, I always find pleasure in the process of creating something of my own from scratch.

A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY

Melinda Mouzannar childhood drawing visual artist
Childhood drawing from Melida’s personal archive.

I had always gotten words of encouragement from my family and teachers when it came to art. I don’t imagine a four-year-old would be able to produce awe-inspiring art, but a person’s reaction to a child’s creations can lead that child to believe they have the skill or talent to be artistic.

That reaction can consequently be the very seed that could grow into intrigue in developing those skills, which might just shape the starting point of one’s creative self.

BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS

Art often blossoms under the saddest circumstances and unfortunately, that was the case for a lot of Lebanese artists.

On top of the on-going Lebanese Revolution of October 2019, the Beirut Port Explosion of August 4 pushed a lot of artists, including myself, to express all the different causes this revolution represents.

Melinda Mouzannar lebanese revolution photos people collage

Despite having to live through one of the hardest periods Lebanon has gone through, the devastation has ignited a newly-found sense of patriotism, depicted through a series of political illustrations and animations dedicated to raising awareness and collecting funds for Lebanon.

THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST

In 2019, I participated in Beirut Design Week for the second year in a row. It’s a design festival that has been taking place in different areas around Beirut since 2012 and aims to showcase the best of Lebanese and international design. It consists of exhibitions, installations, screenings, talks and workshops, among other events.

That year’s theme was Design and Nostalgia.  I had the opportunity to transform one of the rooms at the agency I was working at into an installation space, while the whole agency turned into an exhibit.

My installation حلم بيروت, which translates to The Dream about Beirut, consisted of a cozy dreamscape, lit with different-colored lights and ornamented with antique items, surrounded by fairy lights trapped in colored glass bottles. The room had a couch where one could sink into, listen to a playlist of multicultural songs from different eras, while watching an animation I had prepared. It was projected onto an old piece of cloth suspended between two vintage wooden shutters.

The animation was split into two videos side by side; one was meant to be hypnotizing, playing colorful, abstract shapes and morphing icons. The other had old images of Beirut in the golden days where design prevailed in the form of tramways, urban green spaces, and landmark resorts and theatres. In contrast, it also had images of a more recent Beirut with traffic-ridden streets, literal rivers of trash, and heavily polluted beaches. The video accentuated the positives in the images with flashy shapes and colors, and replaced the negative aspects with those same shapes and colors.

The goal was to reveal how old design ideas and tools that Lebanon had abandoned could easily solve some of today’s issues.
I enjoyed seeing people come in and linger cozily for a while, reveling in nostalgia.

THE PROJECT OTHERS  LOVED MOST

In 2018, I had the privilege of working on a 3D mapping project for the National Museum of Beirut. The video was projected on the whole facade of the museum, during the yearly event of “Night of the Museums”, which gives free public access to 14 museums.

The project was a 6-minute animation demonstrating the different forms of art and monuments throughout time, starting from the prehistoric era, and ending with the future. It consisted of 2D, frame by frame as well as 3D animation prepared by myself and my colleagues. I was lucky enough to direct and execute 4 scenes of the video which were the Prehistoric cave scene, the Phoenicians’ scene, the Roman gladiator scene as well as the cathedral scene.

After weeks of working tirelessly, seeing our work projected on such a colossal scale and seeing the audience react positively to it felt worthwhile.

THE BEST THING ABOUT LEBANESE CREATIVITY IS

The best thing about creatives in Lebanon is that we often have the skills and knowledge to work in a variety of closely related fields, rather than be specialized in one specific field, which serves when it comes to problem-solving and finding the best creative solution.

melinda mouzannar interview talk about beirut

An unfortunate Lebanese trait is being able to work and deliver under the hardest of circumstances, given our current situation, which is a good example of our work ethic and dedication.

BEST STATEMENT OF LEBANESE  HUMOR

Humor is a built-in coping mechanism in us at this point. Maybe it’s because our country has become a joke in itself, but we always seem to be able to add some light humor to get through our darkest days.

On a less serious note, there’s an emerging scene of promising Lebanese stand-up comedians, who have boldly tackled issues such as gender fluidity, sexuality, politics, religion and other subjects that have long been taboo in this country.

The shows are hosted by Awk.word, an underground Lebanese platform for stand-up comedy, and can be streamed on cinemoz.com.

ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO LEBANESE CREATIVES

Lebanese creatives are multi-taskers who are well-versed in various skills, and are always looking to expand their knowledge, get inspired as well as inspire.

If you’re looking for hard-working individuals who will over-achieve with little resources at hand during harsh times, and who are willing to learn from others, all the while lending a helping hand, Lebanese creatives are your go-to people.

BEST PLACE IN BEIRUT

I had initially written this interview prior to the Beirut port blast, describing one of my favourite places in Beirut; Mar Mikhayil Street.

melinda mouzannar interview lebanon beirut explosion

A place I enjoyed taking a stroll in during the day as well as the night. A place where the contrasting architecture of old versus new structures, along with dusty antique stores, cozy coffee shops, fancy bistros, scrumptious street food, and a festive nightlife accompanied by a range of musical genres were all elements that made Mar Mikhayil the charming street it was.

Today, Mar Mikhayil is one of the many areas of Beirut that have been deeply affected by the explosion. It has crumbled, taking with it the buildings that once held our warmest memories. A street that was once the token for celebration is now scarred with the devastation of lost lives, homes, livelihoods and culture.

For those interested in sending aid to Lebanon, donations can be made to the trustworthy NGOs listed here.

BEST PLACE IN LEBANON

One of my favorite places in Lebanon is Jbeil or Byblos. It’s one of the oldest cities in the world and was the first built by the Phoenicians.

One of its perks is that you can spend a whole day there and feel like you’ve traveled through different ages. You could spend half your day visiting archeological sites, museums, old souks and shops, have boat rides followed by lunch at restaurants by the port, lie on sandy beaches and finally end the day at the pubs.

melinda mouzannar lebanon beirut

The best part of it is attending one of the yearly concerts that take place during the Byblos International Festival at the old port, revering in the clash of the contemporary and the historic.

MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT LEBANON, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS

Lebanon is a war-ridden desert and basecamp for terrorists.

The truth is that Lebanon has not seen war since 2006.

Following the uprising of October 2019, hundreds of thousands finally united against a corrupt government of warlords that have been ruling for around 30 years.

melinda mouzannar black and white old beirut photo

The Lebanese are educated, talented, aware and resourceful people that have fallen victim over and over to a corrupt ruling class.

They’re held hostage in a country whose rulers insist on burning to the ground, quite literally, for the benefit of their own personal agendas.

LEBANON SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR

It has one of the richest natural sites such as The Cedars of God in Bsharreh, Jeita Grotto, Kadisha Valley, Baatara Waterfall, Nahr Ibrahim Valley and others.

Being an ancient country, it is known to have ancient archeological sites comprising Roman and Ottoman temples and ruins in various cities and villages like Baalbek, Anjar, Tyre, Beirut, and Byblos among others.

Contrary to common belief, the Lebanese are educated and progressive.

We’re a community open to different views, religions, sexualities and multicultural interests, expressed through art, theatre, movies, music and more.

Like in most countries, there are always people who will oppose change and forward thinking, clinging on to traditions, banalities and personal interest, which is unfortunately the face of Lebanon media outlets choose to display today.

We are also aware of global as well as local political, environmental and social issues and will do our best to raise awareness or help in any way.

In fact, following the Beirut port explosion caused by the recklessness of the government, citizens formed little communities dedicated to offering aid in any possible way, despite not having access to any of their money which has been confiscated by the banks for months. They went as far as locating lost victims, rebuilding shattered windows and doors, providing food, clothes and shelters, and personally cleaning up the rubble on the streets before even processing the trauma, while government officials stood idly and politicians hid quietly in their mansions.

YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY

I believe in the right to believe in whatever one wants, as long as it doesn’t infringe on other people’s human rights. While religion can be a sort of solace to some, following it blindly can cause more harm than good.

One example can be discrimination and violence towards a whole community based on their religion, which has happened over the centuries in the form of massacres and genocides, and has been on the rise in recent years.

Simply put, verbal abuse, assaults and hate crimes are occurring because people disagree with other individuals’ beliefs or lifestyles. All happening in the name of religion. I find that to be hypocritical since what most religions have in common is their core: love of others, love of self and love of environment.

YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY

I don’t believe money is the solution to everything; in fact, it’s one of the leading causes of conflict and political corruption.

However, it can definitely eradicate a number of the world’s biggest problems if billionaires were to invest more in real philanthropic causes. No one needs this much money.

AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE

melinda mouzannar let them eat cake visual illustration art animation

What I find to be helpful is browsing through Instagram for creatives one could look up to. The platform is saturated with extremely talented individuals as well as agencies, all showcasing their personal and commercial projects. I think it’s a great way to stay up-to-date with global design trends and artistic styles. It also pushes creatives to try and achieve a higher level of quality in their work and drives them to explore or expand their own identities as artists.

A LEBANON BASED FEMALE TALENT THAT DESERVES TO BE PROMOTED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, AS EXPONENT OF LOCAL CREATIVE SPIRIT

Myriam Boulos is an up-and-coming Lebanese photographer who has played a significant role in documenting the October 2019 uprising as well as the Beirut port explosion.

She has captured her subjects in their purest form, revealing a myriad of emotions explicit on their faces during the protests.

She has also raised awareness about the aftermath of the explosion, using her platform to tell the stories of families and individuals deeply affected and traumatized by the blast.

Myriam is known to be bold in her photography to depict taboo or uncomfortable subjects such as exploitative systems, sexuality and feminism. Her work ignites interesting conversations which could pave the way for more awareness and open-mindedness.


If you want to see more of Melinda’s work, check out her site, here, and follow her on Instagram.