BIO

Rooted in Lebanon’s layered history of beauty and struggle, Elchamaa’s work embodies the tension between constraint and liberation. Growing up in Beirut during the Civil War, he began painting at 21, using the medium to navigate identity and the raw immediacy of human existence. His practice evolved into a distinct visual language that balances precision with unrestrained expression.

After 15 years as a Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson (1997-2012), where he mastered visual communication, Elchamaa deepened his commitment to painting, shedding commercial confines to embrace what he calls “the irreducibly human.” His canvases are dynamic spaces where structured forms dissolve into fluid textures, and memory intersects with instinct.

In 2019, Elchamaa co-founded Sleeping With The Enemy Productions (SWTEP), extending painting into public space and performance, challenging traditional boundaries between artist, audience, and perception. His retrospective And Tomorrow Who Am I? at ARTLAB Beirut marked a pivotal moment, coinciding with the Lebanese Revolution. The exhibition FUQA’A (Bubble) at Janine Rubeiz Gallery (2022) explored themes of fragility and transformation, while The Disappearing Act at Lynn Modallal Gallery (2023) investigated the reconfiguration of presence through materiality and gesture.

His work has been exhibited internationally, from VOLTA New York (2023) to shows in Taiwan, Dubai, Paris, Washington DC, and Abidjan. His paintings are part of prominent collections, including the Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation and the R&R Haddad Collection.

Born in Beirut, 1960

Lives and works in Baabdat – Lebanon

1960 – 1979 Learned to read and write
1974 – 1981 Photography and dark room
1981 – 1997 Painting
1997 – 2012 Creative Director J. Walter Thompson (Beirut, Damascus, Khobar, Manama, Cairo, Riyadh, Casablanca, Doha)
2013 – today Painting and art activism

2025

AFTERTASTE – duo show – FEB – Portico Gallery MD-USA

2024

SANA HELWA – collective – May – Lynn Modallal Gallery Beirut

BREATHSCAPE – نفس collective – April – Lynn Modallal Gallery Beirut

2023

THE DISAPPEARING ACT – Solo Show – Lynn Modallal Gallery Beirut

VOLTA ART FAIR – NEW YORK – Walls House Of Art Gallery – NEW YORK

NOT TODAY – Collective show – Lynn Modallal Gallery – Beirut

LA TÊTE DANS LES NUAGES – Duoshow – Walls House Of Art – Abidjan

2022

HEY YOU يا أيها artist-curated collective show by Fadi Elchamaa – Dec 10, 2022

FUQA’A (bubble) – Solo exhibition – Galerie Janine Rubeiz Beirut – Nov 2022

PARIS LEBANON 1st Edition – Collective – 389LABOUTIQUE – curated by popup projects

ELECTICISM – Collective – DuneArtStation Dubai

DUBAI ART WEEK -Collective Artb Fltrd Gallery – Dubai

True Colors – Fltrd Gallery – Dubai – UAE – Curated by Joe Hayek

2021

MADMAN – Galerie BEIBAI – Shanghai – China – Curated by Angela Hsu

2020

THE COLLECTIVE – Galerie BeiBei – Shanghai – China

TABA3OD – 3 weeks of collaborative work with Semaan Khawam.

MAMNOU3 EL TEHZIB – 3 weeks live painting performance SWTE Beirut 15 Feb 2020

2019

AND TOMORROW WHO AM I? – Solo show, Public curated retrospective, 35 years of painting- Artlab gallery, Beirut, Lebanon 17 Oct 2019 – (watch)

A PEACE OF LIBERTY – Gebran Tueni Foundation, Maison Libanaise – Group show, Beirut, Lebanon, October 9

HOC EVA – Group show curated by Selena Cerami – London, UK June 2019

RAW – 3 weeks live painting performance – KAF Contemporary Art Gallery Beirut – Lebanon June 2019

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY – 3 weeks live painting performance – KAF Contemporary Art Gallery Beirut – Lebanon March 2019 

THE COLLECTIVE – KAF Contemporary Art Gallery Beirut – Lebanon

2018

FROM THE ARTIST’S STUDIO – Collective – KAF Contemporary Art Gallery Beirut

2016

DEVIATIONS – Solo show – Galleria Soul Egypt

ELCHAMAA VS KHAWAM – Rochane Gallery Beirut Lebanon

UTOPIAN IDENTITY – Gallerie 59 –  Rivoli – Paris-  France

AUCTION exhibit for AEC Beirut Lebanon – Sculpture

2015

STRANGE FRUITS – Wood Of Joy – Baabdat Lebanon

2012

MAPPING SOUL – Gallerie 59 –  Rivoli – Paris-  France

2011

TRANSFORMATIONS – Installation – Joanna Seikali Gallery – Lebanon Solo

1997

DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS – Rochan Gallery – Beirut, Lebanon

1996

SALON D’AUTOMNE – Sursock Museum Beirut, Lebanon

1995

FLOWERS ON THE FLOOR – Installation – Forum Art Show – Beirut, Lebanon

SALON D’AUTOMNE – Sursock Museum – Beirut – Lebanon

YARZEH – Yarzeh Art Gallery – Mount Lebanon – Lebanon