I LOVE
Marie Khouri (Canada/France)
Description
UPDATE: Following its inclusion in the Art d’Égypte exhibition at the Great Pyramids of Giza in 2024, the sculpture is currently on exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.
TITLE: I LOVE
ARTIST: Marie Khouri
MEDIUM: Polyurethane with a hard coat
DIMENSIONS: Variable
WEIGHT: Total of approximately 295 kg (650 lbs)
PREVIOUS LOCATION: Vancouver Art Gallery rotunda
Born in Egypt and raised in Lebanon, Marie 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.
The artist’s reverence for Arabic, and her early career as an interpreter, informs her interest in utilizing language to explore new connections in art. Khouri’s I Love comprises five hand-carved curvilinear forms. Paying homage to the calligraphic nature of Arabic letters in her work, Khouri draws inspiration from Henry Moore’s sensuous sculptures and Zaha Hadid’s organic architectural structures.
Each piece is formed through an extensive hands-on process that begins with clay moulded by Khouri that is then scaled up using expanded polystyrene. The enlarged works then undergo vigorous carving and sanding by the artist. As the flowing arabesque-like forms take shape, so do the Arabic letters and message of the artist: I Love.
Originally commissioned in 2022 by the Vancouver Biennale–with funding provided by the Buschlen Mowatt Nichol Foundation–the sculpture was installed in the Art d’Égypte exhibition entitled Forever Is Now (October 24 to November 16, 2024), curated by Nadine Abdel Ghaffar at the Great Pyramids of Giza. “This installation [was] a bridge that [connected] Marie’s Egyptian heritage with her global journey as an artist . . . [and placed] her in a cultural and historical nexus, offering her an unparalleled platform to contribute to the ongoing story of art and civilization.” — Art d’Égypte
Transforming the Arabic expression Baheb (“I love”) into a physical and conceptual experience, the sculpture continues its transnational journey to Paris, where it is currently on exhibition (May through September 2025) at the Institut du Monde Arabe.
