Arleb by Nabad interviews established ceramic artist Najwa Nahas, whose work explores different know-hows such as raku and saggar, and incorporates them into modern organic shapes. 

Arleb by Nabad – Which subjects or themes are you working on? 

Najwa Nahas – The subject I am working on currently is inspired by the Beirut port explosion that turned our lives upside down, shocking the whole world. This horrible blast destroyed half of the city, and for a while it was like seeing a fiction movie and definitely living a surrealistic situation, hardly believing what happened. I felt the necessity to reflect this in my work realistically by modeling devastated houses of the Lebanese patrimony, and on the other hand in an abstract and symbolic way showing the wounds caused by the blast whether the personal or patrimonial wounds in modeled artworks.

Arleb by Nabad – What is your creative process like? 

Najwa Nahas – My creative process is seeking and working on shapes, lines and patterns using all the building ceramics techniques as well as the different surface decoration and firings. The possibilities are infinite, a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to do it all; they can translate feelings, emotions, sensuality and beauty.

When I first began to work, we were very few ceramists in Lebanon. Now there are so many, knowing this art is a therapy. Most of us are giving classes and with little experience of the required skills, creation is possible, producing your own vessel is such a pride, it has become a trendy activity.

Arleb by Nabad – What was the impact of the Beirut port explosions (August 4, 2020) on your work as an artist/creative enterprise? 

Najwa Nahas – Arts and culture can educate and create empathy. Painting, sculpture, ceramics, movies, storytelling, writing or other visual arts are the perfect tools to talk about a crucial event, here we are talking about the Beirut blast, the dramatic economic and political crisis, plus now the COVID pandemic. Empathy leads to change and creation can empower the weak and vulnerable by showing injustice and resilience. Social battles and individual freedom lead to economic progress and opportunities. Many businesses are investing in artworks and sponsoring artistic events.

Arleb by Nabad – What are, according to you, the main challenges/obstacles facing artists/creative enterprises in Lebanon nowadays? 

Najwa Nahas – The main obstacles and challenges for artists are their struggle to make a living with their art and not having the opportunities as needed, and on the other hand a negative relationship with money can be self-defeating. Sometimes artists will sell their work for half the price in their studio because they need money. But nowadays art is unnecessary, superfluous for daily living with the critical economic situation in Lebanon and the devaluation of the Lebanese pound. Poverty made a large percentage of the population starving for the essential, for food. That is why selling art is secondary, though some happy few invest money in artworks, not enough to make the art market flourishing and prosperous.

CHECK OUT NAJWA NAHAS PROFILE AND ARTWORKS FOR SALE ON ARLEB.