Lana Khayat, The Garden of Bustan Lana Khayat's practice exists at the intersection of history and abstraction, where language, nature, and femininity merge into a distinct visual lexicon. Her work transforms ancient scripts into fluid compositions, balancing the precision of geometric forms with the organic vitality of natural motifs. Throughout her career, Khayat has explored the resilience of women, embedding narratives of strength and transformation within her layered canvases. The lily, a recurring motif in her art, becomes a symbol of perseverance, grace, and survival—an emblem for histories that refuse to be erased.
In her latest exhibition, The White Lilies of Marrakech: Women as Timeless Narratives, currently on view at Hafez Gallery, Khayat draws inspiration from the centennial anniversary of Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh, weaving together cultural memory and personal storytelling. The show reflects a significant evolution in her practice, where script, color, and botanical forms converge in a more assertive and liberated visual language.
Khayat's engagement with Tifinagh script and Arabic calligraphy brings an added layer of depth to her work. These scripts, each bearing their own histories of erasure and endurance, are not mere aesthetic elements but integral to her exploration of identity and heritage. By juxtaposing the structured elegance of these forms with expressive brushstrokes and gestural marks, she bridges the gap between past and present, tradition and innovation.
The exhibition reveals a shift in her approach—where previous works veiled the lilies within layered compositions, here they emerge with clarity and confidence. The disciplined restraint of earlier pieces gives way to a bolder use of color, infusing the works with an energy that mirrors the strength they celebrate.
The White Lilies of Marrakech speaks to the broader question of women's presence in history and art. Khayat, as the first woman in her family to carve a space in an artistic lineage traditionally dominated by men, positions her work as both a continuation and a challenge to inherited narratives. Her paintings do not just depict resilience; they enact it, inviting viewers to witness a lineage being rewritten in real time.
With this exhibition, Khayat asserts herself with an undeniable clarity. The White Lilies of Marrakech is not only a celebration of a garden's centennial but a meditation on endurance, both botanical and human. Through her intricate layering of script, form, and color, Khayat reminds us that history is not static—it is something to be continuously shaped, reinterpreted, and, above all, claimed.
The exhibition The White Lilies of Marrakech will be on view at Hafez Gallery in Riyadh until March 25th, 2025.
