Our 2026 programme opens with a major new solo exhibition from Mounira Al Solh: A land as big as her skincurrently showing at Bonnefanten, Netherlands. This multidisciplinary exhibition includes her critically acclaimed Venice Biennale pavilion installation A Dance with her Myth from 2024, taking visitors on a journey through Middle Eastern mythology to contemporary times. Comprising of a life-size boat skeleton, film, paintings, drawings and masks that together retell the story of Phoenician Princess Europa and king of the Greek god’s Zeus, this subversive installation will be shown alongside new works Elissa’s Room and Europa’s Bedroom, exploring the fortunes of Queen Elissa and Europa through a modern lens and building upon Al Solh’s growing interest in folklore and mythology.
Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh (b. Beirut 1978), now lives and works between the Netherlands and Lebanon, poignantly and playfully navigating a multitude of complex themes such as identity, migration, trauma, inequality and gender, through her deep love of craftsmanship and materials. A collector of stories, Al Solh’s work moves between small, personal memories and collective, political moments, imbuing each with her recognisable joy and humour – a light-heartedness she sees as a right and form of resistance. Combining traditions from the Middle East and the Netherlands A land as big as her skinembodies Al Solh’s deeply personal and collaborative approach and practice: ‘rhythmical, whirling and melodious. It makes you want to dance and to cry, just like the most beautiful love songs.’
This exhibition is organised in collaboration with Bonnefanten (Maastricht, The Netherlands).
This exhibition is made possible by The Mondriaan Fund and Ammodo Art.
The exhibition will be on view at Sharjah Art Foundation in 2027.
Press release from Arnolfini
Image: Mounira Al Solh. Installation view of A Dance with her Myth, Bonnefanten, Maastricht, 2025. Exhibition view from Mounira Al Solh: A land as big as her skin. Photography by Gert Jan van Rooij
