Nahed Mansour
B. 1983, Tripoli
Nahed Mansour is a versatile conceptual artist who works across various mediums, including installation art, collage, video, performance, and painting. Despite her family's preference for the sciences, Mansour chose to pursue a career in art. As the third child among two brothers and two sisters, she entered the Institut Des Beaux Arts (IBA) in Tripoli at the age of 18. As a revolutionary student, she constantly sought the "new" and the "different," a mindset that didn't always align with the academic system of the time. Nonetheless, she became the first in her generation to receive a Diploma of High Studies in Fine Arts in 2005, after four years of learning.
In 2006, Mansour relocated to Beirut, where she pursued a Master's degree in Plastic Arts at ALBA, with a focus on video art. Later, in 2015, she moved to Berlin and obtained a Master's degree in Art in Context from UDK Berlin.
Throughout her career, Mansour has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Beirut, Tripoli, and France. She has also shared her knowledge and expertise by teaching art at the Lebanese International University.
Mansour's artistic practice aims to embody her lived experiences on both human and social levels. She explores the dimensions of "Being," seeking to fulfill her spirit and find answers to philosophical inquiries about life, existence, and humanity. In the spirit of Josef Beuys, she believes in the interconnectedness of art and society, endeavoring to dissolve the boundaries between them.
As an artist, Mansour recognizes her role in reflecting the lived context, harnessing the transformative power of art. She resonates with the words of the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who described art as "the power that transforms the world."
About her Work
As an artist, Nahed Mansour continuously explores and discovers different media and languages that best convey her artistic vision. This exploration is influenced by her position as a contemporary artist living in Lebanon, with all the sociopolitical circumstances that shape the country and its surroundings. Through her art, Mansour aims to embody her lived experiences on both human and social levels.
About Less or More
In her artwork titled "Less or More," Mansour focuses on the concept of virtual and physical angles. Through her optical structures, she engages with the viewers' perspective. Depending on the angle from which you observe the artwork—whether from above, left, or right—the different elements of the work appear to reshape before your eyes. It creates a sense of restlessness and constant motion within the art. Her minimalistic structures employ geometric illusions, challenging the viewer's perception of the objects.
Nahed Mansour
Less or More, 2011
Wood and acrylic paint, 6 elements
Loan from the artist