Exploring form, color, and artistic freedom in contemporary Lebanese art
Joseph Haykal is an emerging talent in the Lebanese art scene, navigating a creative space that bridges interior architecture, design, and painting. In his studio in Sin El Fil, these worlds collide: blueprints, design objects, and canvases coexist in a single, fluid workspace.
It was the war of November 2024 that truly pushed him toward painting as a form of expression. While he had always drawn as a child—sketches and doodles were constant companions—it was only recently that he turned to painting. He found that neither interior architecture nor design offered him the radical, uninhibited freedom that the brush provides.
Bridging Form and Color
Haykal works primarily with acrylics on large-format canvases. His works often feature figures constructed through geometric shapes. These vibrant, colorful compositions highlight his fascination with form—a preoccupation that is already central to his work as an architect, where lines, volumes, and materials dictate the environment.
This interest in volume extends beyond the two-dimensional. In 2025, he debuted his first "totem sculpture" made of resin during the Beirut Design Week "We Design" event. It was a pivotal moment, allowing him to explore new mediums while maintaining his distinct visual identity.
A Neo-Cubist Vision
His artistic style is difficult to categorize. Some critics associate his work with a form of "neo-pop" due to his bold, high-energy color palette. Haykal, however, prefers to describe it as a synthesis of influences, existing somewhere between "neo" and modern cubism. Yet, throughout every medium he touches, one element remains constant: the power of color.
An Emotional Journey
With "As We Are," Haykal has curated a journey through various emotions and sensations, oscillating between chaos, hope, and transformation. Opening on May 22 at the Art District gallery in Beirut, this exhibition marks a significant milestone for the young artist.
Ultimately, his ambition is to see his work find a home—not just in the spaces of those who appreciate it, but also beyond the borders of Lebanon. His vibrant, expressive work captures something essential about contemporary Lebanese creativity: resilient, boundary-breaking, and deeply human.
