Laura Taleb

Laura Taleb is a Lebanese textile artist and visual storyteller from Akkar, north Lebanon, who specializes in handwoven tapestries that blend traditional techniques with modern aesthetics. 

Taleb mastered carpet weaving from a young age, and at 19, she learned to weave handmade kilims (oriental rugs), approaching the craft from both an aesthetic and technical perspective. Today she is also a trainer in the craft.

Kilim is considered to be one of the oldest crafts developed by humanity, initially producing pieces for covering the body that over time became more associated with decorative art. These are distinguished by their symbolic and expressive designs, which help define their identity, alongside the diverse techniques used in their creation. 

Taleb developed a deep passion for the craft, after finding herself drawn to ancient carpets in museums and galleries, where they were showcased as works of art. In addition to her love for weaving, she had a strong appreciation for all forms of art, which led to her enrolment at the College of Fine Arts. 

She continued her studies with a Master’s, for which she undertook research on aligning the functional role of handmade kilims with their creative aesthetic, exploring the symbols, ideas and techniques embedded within the craft. 

This connection between weaving and visual art inspired Taleb to develop an open artistic philosophy - one that embraces challenges, breaks boundaries and frees the mind to create a new form of art rooted in heritage and culture. 

Taleb’s ability to weave, combined with her love for fine art, allows her to reinterpret heritage through a contemporary lens. In her practice, she combines the past, present and future by marrying traditional weaving methods with contemporary artistic expressions.

Using cotton, wool and metallic threads, among others, Taleb makes use of her materials and chosen colours in the same way that a painter uses a brush, enabling her to channel heightened emotions and sensations into her pieces. 

The warp threads form the base, much like a canvas, while her compositions integrate kilim weaving with painting techniques. In this way, weaving and thread became her primary sources of inspiration, enabling her to create tapestry artworks and contemporary textile hangings that bridge the past and the present. 

Taleb’s textile art was recently showcased at a landmark solo exhibition titled ‘Life Weave’ (2025).  Held at Escape Gallery, the exhibition explored the way in which the fundamental elements of the sky, water, the earth and air are interwoven and unified. 

Commenting on the show, Taleb said: “The ‘Life Weave’ is a dialogue between the traditional memory of Eastern carpets and their weaving techniques, reinterpreted in a new artistic and open-ended style. Its purpose is not to dismantle heritage and culture, but to shed light on them artistically, liberating thought while maintaining the dynamic balance between tradition and modernity in the world of textiles.”

Taleb’s work has also featured in several other shows, including: Zar Festival, the Bukhara, Uzbekistan (2024); Escape Gallery, Beirut (2023); the Arab Art Fair, Beirut (2023); Zar Festival, the Bukhara, Uzbekistan (2022); the International Festival of Handicrafts, Kokand, Uzbekistan (2019); International Crafts Organisation, Kuwait (2016); the Nantong International Contemporary Craft Biennale, China (2014); and the Muscat Festival, Oman (with the Research Center for Islamic History, Arts and Culture in Istanbul) (2011).