An Article by C. N. (560 words, 3 min. read)
Stepping into Claude Saba’s solo exhibition As We Wander, currently on view at Multaqa Beirut since June 10, is like stepping into the shifting tide of an artist in transformation. There is a palpable sense of change in the air: in the strokes, the colors, the daring compositions. Saba, already known for her bold abstract and mixed media work, takes a dramatic leap into new territory. Her canvases now speak with renewed urgency, tenderness, and depth, revealing an artist who is not standing still but constantly moving forward, both in form and in feeling.
Stories Within the Abstract
Each painting in this series tells a story; not in words, but in sensations, silences, bursts of color, and subtle whispers of form. There is no clear narrative to follow, yet one feels guided, as if gently taken by the hand and led through a landscape of inner transformations. Whether through sweeping gestures or delicate layers, Claude Saba invites viewers into her personal journey, one that mirrors the larger human experience of love, exile, joy, loss, and rebirth.
The Language of Titles
The titles of the works themselves read like poetry, each evoke a different emotional frequency: Soupir de lumière (Sigh of Light), Murmure intérieur (Inner Murmur), Exil de soie (Exile of Silk), L’Odyssée (The Odyssey), Palette en fièvre (Palette in Fever), La Bohème. These names are entry points, keys to unlock the spirit of each piece. Through them, we sense Claude’s inner dialogue, her questions, her yearnings, her truths.
Female Figures, Reimagined
As in much of her work, the female figure remains central, yet here it is more elusive, more suggestive. It appears and disappears within the abstract space, like a memory surfacing and dissolving again. These women are not portraits but they are feelings, moments, movements. They carry the weight of past experiences, but also the lightness of new beginnings. Through them, Claude paints her own story and gives also space for every viewer to find theirs.
An Emotional Landscape
What makes As We Wander so affecting is the emotional resonance that lingers after you leave. This is not a cold abstraction. It is alive. The textures, the contrasts, the tension between control and spontaneity all speak of an artist deeply connected to her medium and to her own humanity. There is something in these works that cannot be explained. One can only feel them. They carry with them the pulse of a woman who dares to go deeper, to wander bravely through both light and shadow.
A Journey Beyond the Frame
This exhibition is a lived experience, a passage. As you move from one piece to the next, you are observing art, furthermore you are walking through the life of a creator who never stops evolving. Claude Saba’s new body of work is a testament to growth, to the endless capacity of art to hold emotion, and to the magic of wandering, without a fixed destination, but with a heart wide open.
A Home for the Soul
In a world that often rushes past stillness and sensation, As We Wander is a gentle reminder to pause, to feel, and to be moved. Claude Saba has built a space where colors breathe, forms speak, and silence glows. This exhibition is a home for the soul of anyone willing to listen.
