Best First Solo Exhibitor

Best First Solo Exhibitor
Cybelle Moutran
Cybelle Moutran
On a Sidewalk. Ceramic
Floating, tinkling white ceramic hearts, anatomic and stylized, hover soundlessly and watch over a mass of broken red shutters. As if their color bled into the bright red heap below them, they are motionless but weight heavy like a wave crashing down from the sky or tears caught frozen in time. There are 220 hearts, one for each of the victims of the Port Blast (at the time of production, the count was exact to the reported number of victims). The installation is a work of passion and love. “Everything goes back to love: love of the city and love of the people,” says Moutran, “I wanted to link the ceramic hearts to each person that passed away.”

Spark of Love
Her foray into ceramic sculpting began five years ago as a hobby, after which she fell in love with the medium and hasn’t looked back since. At the time, most of her works were only made privy to a close group of friends and family. It was while on the streets of Beirut helping the community clean-up after the blast that inspiration struck. Moutran noticed a heap of broken shutters neatly piled up and promptly took a picture. The window shutters, some broken, some intact, contrasted with their surroundings, and were arranged perfectly. “To me they looked more than just a pile of debris. It was a symbol of the love of the people. In an odd way, it’s both ugly and beautiful,” she says. In that regard Moutran had a connection to the victims’ families, both personally and artistically.

Final Send-off
The preliminary idea that was sparked began to brew and grew into what it is today. Moutran followed her heart: “It was a personal form of expression, for both Beirut and for myself,” she says. Hesitant at first, her idea was met with controversy due to its delicate subject and morbid nature. The sculptural piece, despite its figurative elements like the hearts and shutters, is inherently abstract and laden with symbolism. The process evolved over the course of its execution and these changes can be read in the finished work. While the artwork could be perceived as sending a macabre message, it is anything but that. It is a tribute and commemoration that pays due respect to the ones who lost their lives too soon. In a cathartic way, it is a proper send off.
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