Lebanese artist Yasmina Keyrouz, a fashion design graduate from the Lebanese American University (LAU), has taken her creative work to the next level, digitizing pop art and attracting quite an interest from the public and businesses.
It all started during the first lockdown in 2020 when she went digitizing randomly her drawings and posting them on a private account on Instagram, as she told 961.
She then created an Instagram page “for friends and family” to share her creations with. Consequently, her work started to grow by the day as the word spread about her talent and creativity.
This was her first post on her business account.
When 961 asked Keyrouz what inspires her the most, she said “Lebanon, Beirut, and everything that has to do with our culture.”
She proceeded by describing how everyday life inspires her. She gives an example by stating, “I can be eating out of a Labneh box and be inspired by it then decide to draw it in a creative way.”
She expresses how hard it is to balance her personal life as a student with her work. This pressure often leads to a creative block that lasts somewhere between a week to months.
She describes how stressful it is to break free from the blocks as she has to post daily in order to maintain the number of followers. She says, “If I don’t post for two weeks, I might lose more than 100 followers.”
Regarding Lebanon’s role in her art, her creations inspired by Lebanon are her most successful ones because they are relatable. She chooses to illustrate the positivity and the way Lebanese people love their country no matter the circumstances.
The first creations that she sold were Lebanon related and were designed to be postcards, tote bags, phone cases, and posters after collaborations.
As for her favorite project, Yasmina Keyrouz says that it’s the Ixsir bottle she designed. Ixsir reached out to her in early 2021 and asked if she would be interested in designing the “Altitudes” limited edition bottle for the holiday season.
The theme of the bottle fit her style specifically as it was about Lebanese nostalgia. On the bottle are the different monuments, food, drinks, and cities of Lebanon which, she says, “represent me well as an artist as well as my style and identity.”
The artist has collaborated with diverse companies, local businesses, and associations. Her creations express a message in a colorful way that is satisfying to the eye.
Yasmina also uses her art to send a message, such as empowering women and how she feels about Lebanon, which was especially obvious during the elections when she urged people to vote.
“I can only hope that my art makes people smile as I try to serve my work as an escape from the chaos of real life,” Yasmina says.
