Lebanese artist Charbel Samuel Aoun, was born in 1980 and began his career as a conceptual designer. A profession he chose after earning a Master’s degree in architecture in 2004. During the following five years, Aoun worked as a conceptual designer in several architectural firms in Beirut, where he also explored the fields of audiovisual and theatre.
As a great advocate and lover of nature, Aoun started creating his own wild garden, which eventually grew into a miniature forest. By combining hundreds of species of plants and trees, the small botanical sanctuary provides the artist a space of solace and refuge away from Lebanon’s busy life.
In his work he combines his education as an architect and his passion for nature, experimenting with different materials and elements. He thereby creates a system that both examines and questions social and environmental realities. Aoun’s artistic universe unites various aspects and experiences throughout his life journey, with one heavily centering around his garden. The artist believes that the concept of a physical studio with a specific geographical location does not directly resemble the diversity and dynamic nature of itself. Aoun considers that a mobile and versatile studio is more suited given this day and age, due to residing amongst a time of constant movement and development surrounding our economy.
The artist’s choice of the medium is part of an experience, where the viewer is invited to embark on a sensual journey. The rational and the emotional elements of cognitive processes are triggered through a multisensory contact with the material, allowing for a multidimensional encounter with his pieces.
Several collectors and institutions such as the Royal Family of Emirates, Raymond Audi, Jean Marc Decrop, Abraham Karabajakian, and the Tate Modern museum collected the artist’s work.