Hanny Al Khoury: La La Lands

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Hanny Al Khoury, "La La Lands"

Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Alberta.

La La Lands are imaginary spaces where belonging doesn’t need to be continually negotiated and anything is possible. Hanny Al Khoury grew up in Catholic household in Palestine. His La La Lands are dreamscapes free of the traumas caused by the complexities of this intersectional identity. La La Lands is an imaginary place where traumas have been purged and exorcized. Although the forms and objects represent stories and events from the artist’s life, their abstracted nature means that anyone can see things relevant to their own personal journeys. 

Hanny Al Khoury: La La Lands is organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta, curated by Lindsey Sharman and presented in the RBC New Works Gallery. The RBC New Works Gallery features new artworks by Alberta artists and continues the Art Gallery of Alberta’s tradition of supporting and promoting Alberta artists.

Artist Hanny Al Khoury (b.1990) was born into an Arab Palestinian minority community in occupied Palestine. Raised in a society that valued critical debate, Al Khoury was exposed to socio-political, literary, and intellectual issues of the day from a young age. As a Christian Palestinian, a minority within a minority, he was active in religious activities which would later influence his work. These seemingly contradictory aspects of his life spurred an interest in art.

Al Khoury’s first technical training was an art program presented by his high school. He learned materials, techniques, colors, and basic artistic styles from his teacher Ola Al-Henawi.

For Al Khoury, art is a lifeline to new worlds. It is a space in which he can represent his connection to Palestine, while reflecting core human values and emotions.