^{Words By Allegra Salvadori}

Born in Riyadh and shaped by London and Beirut, Lebanese artist Caleen Ladki paints from a place between worlds—geographical, emotional, and spiritual. Her work, known for its bold use of color and intricately woven patterns, has evolved into a language of introspection and spiritual inquiry.

After graduating with honors in Textile Design from Central Saint Martins, Caleen’s early pieces embraced symmetry and instinctive color. But it was her return to Beirut in 2014 that marked the beginning of a more personal, more searching chapter. Each collection since—Birds of Freedom, All Eyes on You, The Mind Roams—reads like a journal of belonging, fear, release.

Her latest body of work steps into the unseen. Inspired by Barzakh, the intermediate realm between life and the afterlife in Islamic tradition, these oil paintings drift between solidity and haze, exploring what happens in the quiet spaces of transition. Gone are the vivid colors of her past—replaced by veiled, earthy tones, and a sense of sacred slowness.

In a region where modernity often rushes ahead of reflection, Ladki’s work invites pause. It is at once personal and universal, drawing from spiritual architecture, cultural symbolism, and emotional thresholds. Through texture, scale, and restraint, she evokes the tension between form and formlessness—between presence and absence.

Collected across the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S., Caleen Ladki’s work speaks to those navigating multiple identities and searching for meaning in the in-between. Each piece is an invitation to look inward—and perhaps, beyond.