Marie Khouri

Canada/France

Bio

Marie Khouri is a Paris- and Vancouver-based sculptor who captures today’s foci of inclusivity and diversity, as well as the rising role of women in the art world. She also represents today’s broad multicultural and diverse global demographic. Born in Egypt and raised in Lebanon, Khouri has developed a vast range of cultural and historical influences within her practice. Fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, English, and French, Khouri fled Beirut with her family in the 1970s during the Lebanese Civil War. She relocated to Spain and Canada, finally settling in Paris where she was classically trained in sculpture at l’École du Louvre.

Khouri’s works are rooted in a profound sense of dislocation and the search for a greater sense of place. Her sculptures are formed through an extensive hands-on process that employs traditional sculpting techniques alongside contemporary innovations in material and building standards.

Marie Khouri relays messages of movement, community, and connection through her artworks. As an immigrant who spent time across Europe before settling in Canada, she creates work that speaks to a unified and diverse audience, creating sculptures that unify communities.

Her early career as a language interpreter continues to impact her work, as she draws from language new ways to create a connection through art.

Khouri’s work resides at the often-tenuous place between art and design, with close integration of form and function, reminiscent of modernist thinking best epitomized by the Bauhaus School. While her artworks are frequently monochromatic (the dominant palette being white, black, red, and bronze), she works across an array of mediums, including charcoal, bronze, concrete, resin, and metallic wire.

Over the past 15 years, Khouri has exhibited extensively in Europe and North America. She has over 25 public artworks in Canada and abroad, while her large-scale sculptures are held in private collections across the globe. Khouri works alongside developers, architects, and other community stakeholders to create playful and inviting sculptures that are truly reflective of the community they serve.