An Article by D. M. (624 words, 3 min. read)
Stepping into the exhibition “Down Memory Lane” at Kalim Bechara Art Gallery is like flipping through the painted pages of a visual memoir. From his early experiments in the 1990s to his most recent creations in 2025, with the various medias he uses, from acrylics to pastels, china ink to etching, from lithographs to canvases or jute, Charles Khoury invites us into a world where color breathes, and form pulses with life. His compositions (whether abstracted figures, interior geometries, or botanical silhouettes) sound like the memory of a Lebanon both wounded and beautiful, and the universal anxiety of being human.
A Journey Through Color and Form
What greets us first, even before the paintings, is a surprise: a Vespa at the entrance of the gallery, boldly painted by the artist himself. It carries his signature motifs: broken outlines, playful fragments. This painted object, halfway between vehicle and sculpture, sets the tone for what’s to come: movement, memory, and transformation.
The Language of Structure
Khoury’s formal language is rooted in both discipline and invention. His early canvases show a mastery of symmetry and spatial tension, while his later works play more freely with figuration. From tightly composed diptychs to loose, almost calligraphic brushwork, we see the artist searching—always searching—for the right balance between abstraction and storytelling. His use of primary colors never tires; instead, it deepens, becoming a grammar of its own.
The 2004 diptych, a monumental acrylic on canvas, draws us into a rhythm of repeated forms, each slightly different, as if breathing. Nearby, his sculptures repeat this rhythm in three-dimensional space, folded, curved, inscribed with silent weight. They possess both character and mischief, as if the artist can never resist the urge to play, even with other materials.
Reflections of Faraway Civilizations, and a Red Spark
Among the latest paintings dated 2025, one in particular—a vivid, untitled red canvas—stood out with striking intensity. Rendered in black and crimson, it vibrates with emotional heat and graphic force, almost like a mural fragment from a forgotten city wall. There’s a rawness here, a return to something primal, which deeply resonated. It was one of the moments in the exhibition where you could feel the artist taking a leap forward.
In contrast, some of the other newer works, such as the 2025 diptych featuring vibrant mask-like faces on black backgrounds, while visually compelling, felt more familiar. The influence of Latin American aesthetics, particularly Mexican visual traditions, is palpable in the festive energy and folk-like rhythm. Beautiful, yes, perhaps too safe.
The Man with the Cigar
And through it all, there is Charles Khoury himself. His presence lingers in the air like the scent of his ever-burning cigar. An inseparable part of his image and creative ritual. Whether speaking friendly in the gallery or standing silently beside a sculpture, cigar in hand, he seems at once inside his work and slightly beyond it, as though already imagining the next canvas.
Looking Forward
Down Memory Lane is more than a retrospective; it’s a celebration of resilience, imagination, and deep artistic identity. Yet, as we move from decade to decade in the exhibition, we are left hoping, not out of lack, but desire for more. The Vespa, the red canvas, the feeling of something new: they stirred our curiosity. Where is Khoury going next? What new visual adventure lies ahead?
This exhibition looks back with generosity and pride but it also makes us hungry for the unknown chapters still unwritten.This retrospective is a celebration, yes, but also a promise. A reminder that behind every finished work is an artist still in movement, still burning, still sketching. We leave the gallery not only remembering… but anticipating.
