La Rencontre (2020) is part of a series titled “Voyage Onirique” (Dreamy Voyage). Abou Mrad chronicles the meeting of her fictional characters, Matilda and the Lion. Dancing across the sky and water, her ethereal characters, flora, and fauna appear to be in perpetual movement. The large enigmatic and colourful diptych affirms the artist’s interest in the surrealist ‘double image’ or duality, and every detail reveals encrypted symbolisms.

Sara Abou Mrad (Lebanese, b. 1988) is a contemporary artist. Her work translates her dream-like inner universe and memories of her childhood musings. She depicts fantastical scenes, anthropomorphic animals, and religious symbols. Conceptually, she explores the theme of duality, reminiscent of surrealist André Breton's novel “Nadja” (1928), where ‘dream images’ rely on a double set of mirrors. While primarily using acrylic, her body of work often possesses a translucent quality, resembling watercolour paintings. Her intuitive and eclectic style has earned her recognition and representation by the Claude Lemand Gallery in Paris.

Abou Mrad is a Fine Arts graduate from the Lebanese University. She has won awards for translating classical music pieces into paintings from the German Goethe-Institute in 2011 and 2013, as well as for her drawings in the 2015 Beirut Design Week. In 2015, her first series of engravings, titled “Matilda”, was published by Zaaroura publishing house. Sara’s impact goes beyond her art; she created a program in 2016 to train blind children, sponsored by the Empowerment Through Integration Foundation. In 2020, she executed 12 notable murals inspired by famous artists, was granted an art residency in Paris, and won the “Call of Young Artists of Lebanon” competition. Since then, Abou Mrad has exhibited internationally, and her work has been collected by prestigious institutions.