Christine Kettaneh is a Lebanese artist based in Beirut. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (2013) and a MSc in Finance and Economics from The London School of Economics (2005). The London-trained economist is fluent in the highly metaphoric language of liquidity and viscosity inherent to the world's most flexible 'good': capital. Then later trained in an art school characterized by a sort of material asceticism, she experiments with a system of codes in which these infinite operations and equations turn into sculptural shapes, at the same time that they disintegrate into pure chaos.
Christine’s interdisciplinary approach to exploring the world is manifested in her collaborations with different sectors. She recently was guest artist in “Global Climate Lab 2,” which is an immersive research lab, a space for collaboration between climate researchers and artists, addressing the emotions that are usually sidelined by scientific (Western-disciplinary) methods (2023). Earlier, she collaborated with scientists who are building the world’s biggest neutron source at the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Malmö, Sweden, in the artist residency “Nanocosmic Investigations – Artists in Conversation with ESS” (2021-2022); She contributed to two editions of the conference “Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century” alongside computer scientists and linguists (2020 and 2022); She was one of the ‘futurists’ that were recruited by Oliver Wyman and Neom for an ideation workshop to explore ways the future citizens of Neom could engage with the natural landscape of The Line (2022).
Christine has participated in different artist residencies like “La Sughereta,” organized by Cassata Drone in collaboration with Andrea Masu (Alterazioni Video, Incompiuto Siciliano), in the Natural Reserve of Niscemi, Sicily (2018); and “BeMA Residency/Jezzine,” organized by BeMA (the Beirut Museum of Art) in collaboration with T.A.P (Temporary. Art. Platform) in Jezzine, Lebanon (2017).
Her work has been showcased in individual and collective exhibitions: She held solo exhibitions at Galerie Janine Rubeiz in Beirut (2017) and at Gagliardi e Domke in Turin (2017). In 2016, she had a duo show with Monika Grabuschnigg at Carbon12 in Dubai. Recently, she participated in the collective exhibitions: “Home, Home, Home, Temporary Home,” curated by Davood Madadpoor at Sumac Space in Neukölln, Berlin (2023); “EPTA,” organized by Isorropia Homegallery at Basilica di San Celso, Milan (2023); “In the Rift, Where Time is Suspended” at Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Beirut (2022); and “Togetherness” at Galerie Tanit, Beirut (2021).
She has received several awards for her work including: The Art Rights Prize ‘Partner Prize Award’ promoted by Isorropia Homegallery, Milan (2021); The ‘Audience Award’ in the Berlin Revolution Film Festival (2020); ‘Best Experimental Short Film’ in the Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes (2018); the YICCA - art residency in Italy - prize (2018); the Premio Ora Prize (2017); the Aomi Okabe Jury award in Art Olympia, Tokyo (2017); and the Arte Laguna Prize in the 'Sculpture and Installation category,’ Venice (2015).
Christine is an adjunct assistant professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut where she has been teaching the different design studios in the foundation program in the School of Architecture and Design since 2014. She is also a teaching artist giving workshops that engage people in creative learning experiences, in, through and about the arts and encourage active participation as the main tool for learning and imagining other ways reality can be.