Bassam Kyrillos

Bassam Kyrillos is a pioneering Lebanese sculptor who was born in Byblos in 1970. Firmly established at the forefront of the region’s contemporary art scene, Kyrillos still lives and works in the city today. 

Kyrillos enrolled at the Lebanese University, where he gained a BA in Visual Arts in 1995, before continuing his studies abroad. He attended Damascus University, achieving a BA and MA in Visual Arts in 2005 and 2007 respectively. Kyrillos then traveled to Paris to attend the University of Sorbonne, where he completed an MA in Visual Arts in 2008 and a PhD in the same subject in 2014.

Kyrillos’s work ranges from monumental sculptures, rooted in architecture, to figurative pieces that are sometimes seemingly suspended in time and space. His artworks are created in a range of media, with bronze and aluminium casting techniques, and the introduction of industrial materials, hallmarks of his pieces. Other signatures include his focus on themes related to the cycles of destruction and regeneration, notably the space and borders between devastation and renewal. In these parallel urban spheres, Kyrillos presents audiences with far-reaching, deep-rooted narratives through pieces that show signs of damage, incurred by conflict, but also the promise of new life and resilience, or the ability to survive. In these works, which include high-storey buildings, often leaning precariously and cracked or splintering, the use of additional materials, such as cement and soil, reinforce the urban focus of his work, while the creative use of light adds a sense of optimism.

Bassam Kyrillos’s work has featured in several high-profile exhibitions over the years in Lebanon and abroad. Recent solo shows include: ‘Multiverse’, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut (2019); ‘The Chaos’, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut (2017); ‘Locating Existence’, Artspace Gallery, Hamra (2015); Mediart Gallery, Paris (2012); Alkhoubar Gallery, Doha (2001); and Espace SD Gallery, Beirut (2000).

Kyrillos’s work has also featured in several collective exhibitions, including, most recently: Workshops of Sculpture and Painting in Egypt and Tunisia (2018); Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut (2018); Baalbeck International Symposium (2018); Sichuan University, Changdou, China (2017); ‘Encounters’, Basel Cultural Centre, Basel (2016); Juan-les-Pins, French Riviera (2012); Sursock Museum, Beirut Lebanese Art Forum, Unesco Palace, Beirut (2010); Museum of Art, Heifei, China (2005); International Symposium of Sculpture, Manama, Bahrain (2003); International Art Exhibition, New York (2003); Symposium of Sculpture, Mechref, Lebanon (2003); the International Painting Exhibition, Baghdad (2002); and the Sursock Museum, Beirut (2000).

In addition, he has taken part in several art fairs worldwide, including: Egypt Art Fair (2020); Beirut Art Fair (2019, 2017, 2016 and 2015); Istanbul Art Fair (2017); Art Central Hong Kong (2015); and Bahrain Art Fair (2015). Other landmark biennales in which he has participated include: the Biennial of the Islamic World in Iran, Museum of Tehran (2001); the Biennial of Alexandria, Egypt (2001); and the Biennial of Lebanese Art, Kaslik (2000).

Kyrillos held the title of President of the Lebanese Artists Association for Painting and Sculpture between 2000 and 2002, and Vice President of the International Art Association between 2002 and 2005. He is currently Professor of Painting and Sculpture at the Lebanese University in Beirut.