Mounira Al Solh's 'A land as big as her skin' at Arnolfini explores myth, conflict, and displacement

Mounira Al Solh's exhibition 'A land as big as her skin' at Arnolfini in Bristol presents painting, embroidery, sculpture, and film that navigate ancient Mediterranean myth and contemporary violence. The show includes 'Red Cypress Tree' (2025), a black textile work featuring embroidery by the Inaash collective, a Palestinian group active in Lebanon since the 1970s. Al Solh's planned 2024 collaboration with the embroiderers in Beirut was disrupted by bombardment, resuming only after a November ceasefire. The exhibition spans from the mythological boat installation 'A Dance with her Myth', which represented Lebanon at the 2024 Venice Biennale, to the concluding piece 'Words of grief and mourning' (2025), featuring two polypropylene sacks hand-painted with Arabic words for weeping and departure. Key paintings include 'From Beirut to Saida, Ya My Eyes' (2023), a color-saturated work referencing a Lebanese love song, and 'Silicone, Poppies, and a Couple of Invisible Deffs' (2022), a large-scale painting with green-skinned figures. 'Flying, clapping, grooving, tasting love' (2025) consists of three freestanding panels, while 'Elissa’s Room' (2025) employs nested geometric layers. Al Solh recalls her grandmother walking slowly to collect her during bombardment in the Lebanese Civil War. The exhibition runs until 24 May 2026.