Hope and loss made vivid
Layered over a cloaked woman on a sandy background, dozens of brightly colored flowers twist and blossom, filling every available space from corner to corner. The woman is seen from behind, almost a shadow, her neutral color helping to accentuate the Technicolor brilliance of the flora surrounding her. It is, as the piece’s title suggests, a literal interpretation of “Arab Spring.” “Initially [there was] the hope and optimism,” says artist Helen Zughaib, “which is why I used that motif of the flower … that carried on through even as the situation deteriorated.” It is subject matter close to her heart. Born in Beirut to naturalized Americans, Zughaib was evacuated with her family to Europe in late 1975 as Lebanon descended into civil war. After earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University, she relocated to Washington, D.C., to work on art full...