Some creative projects are born in the heart of the greatest hardships… and can even emerge from chaos. Artists of Beirut was launched in 2020 by Carole Ayoub, soon joined by Yara Jahchan, with the aim of spotlighting women artists in Lebanon. Born amid a major economic and social crisis, this initiative, now a platform dedicated to promoting and supporting artistic talent, has become an integral part of the country’s cultural landscape.
2020 will remain a dark year in Lebanon. It was marked by the Beirut port explosion, which struck while the country was already being violently shaken by an economic collapse, and as the global pandemic disrupted every certainty.
In the face of these upheavals and this pervasive instability, artistic creation became a true refuge. Carole, a communications specialist, set out to highlight women artists in Lebanon and launched the Artists of Beirut platform. She was soon joined by Yara, who holds a degree in Art History. Together, they built what would become a genuine community of artists—an open space to breathe, a form of resistance against adversity, and a project driven by the desire to support a creativity that was rapidly flourishing. Because despite the crisis, or perhaps because of it, Lebanon has witnessed in recent years a growing number of female talents and artistic practices.
“All this creative energy was often invisible,” Yara and Carole explain. “With our platform, we wanted to offer these women a professional, structured showcase, and help them gain visibility, and sell their work.”
A difficult relationship with the spotlight
This lack of visibility for women artists is not unique to Lebanon. “We know that women make up the majority of art school students, representing around 60% of enrolled students. Yet, as in many other sectors, far fewer women manage to make themselves visible, assert themselves, or exhibit their work.” The reasons behind this imbalance are multiple: lack of confidence, self-censorship, difficulty feeling legitimate… in short, the well-known impostor syndrome—an issue that remains more common among women than men.
In this context, Artists of Beirut also aims to “reassure the women artists we support, tell them they are capable, that they can exhibit, and encourage them to take the place they deserve,” Yara explains. Through their art, Lebanese women are able to speak about crises, express their vision of the country, and address the place of women in society.
Since its creation, Artists of Beirut has experienced remarkable growth. The platform now features around 75 artists and more than 300 artworks, and has organized nearly 30 exhibitions since 2020.
Art where you wouldn’t expect it
Beyond the numbers, AOB stands out through its ability to exist outside traditional frameworks. Because Artists of Beirut is not a conventional gallery. The platform has no fixed location, no permanent address. Its model is deliberately nomadic—a freedom that allows it to break codes and reach audiences directly, rather than waiting for the public to walk through the doors of an institutional space.
This is why exhibitions take place in unexpected venues: wine cellars, hotels, restaurants, and hybrid spaces. Places where artistic encounters become more spontaneous, more vibrant, and more accessible.
Perhaps one day, Artists of Beirut will also take the form of a physical space—an environment for exchange and encounters beyond exhibitions. But even without walls, AOB has already achieved what matters most: building a vibrant, open, evolving platform capable of shining a light on emerging women artists who had long remained in the shadows. And above all, it has proven that an intuition born in the midst of crisis can become a cultural truth: women artists have a place—and an audience ready to discover them.
