Beirut-born artist Nayla Cannamela is a London-based sculptor working primarily with papier-mâché. A mathematician by training, her work reflects a sensitivity to structure, rhythm and balance, where analytical thinking meets a tactile and intuitive process.
Her international trajectory has taken her from Beirut to Ottawa, Paris, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. In the 2000s in Paris, she presented works including collages composed of ancient manuscript fragments, colourful papier-mâché headpieces created for a catwalk, and decorative plates. Cannamela’s current practice centers on sculptural work in papier-mâché. Formed through successive layers of reclaimed paper and cardboard, her pieces emerge from a slow, repetitive process that she describes as meditative, akin to gestures of preparing or cooking.
The artist’s work has evolved from colorful and decorative beginnings toward a more material-driven practice. She now works with reclaimed cardboard — ordinary, everyday waste — layering and reshaping it into subtle sculptural pieces that evoke memory, history, and transmission.
KEY EXHIBITIONS
June 2026, Artists of Beirut Collective Exhibition, Season 7, Arthaus, Beirut, Lebanon
31 January- 26 April 2026, “Espressioni dell’Anima“, Museo della Casa, Mondovi, Italy
31 October- 29 November 2025, “Life“, International show, Galleria Antitesi, Torino, ItalySearch Key words/
8-14 August 2025, “Existence“, Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
26 June- 19 July 2025, “Life“, Scot art, St Margaret’s House, Edinburgh, United KingdomSculpture
SELECTED ARTWORKS
‘Untitled’, 2024
Cardboard and Fabric, 55x35x5 cm
