Rana Salam – Lebanon’s mistress of Pop Art

Rana Salam’s studio is a maze of colors, a veritable smorgasbord of Middle Eastern trinkets, icons, logos and visuals, ranging from old movie posters to funky packaging that bursts with creativity. In her shop on Abdel Wahab al-Inglizi, Abdel Nasser’s profile features on a retro tabletop and Um Kulthum adorns button pins. What Campbell’s tomato soup was to Warhol, Chiclets chewing gum is to Salam, a great fan of pop art who masterfully celebrates and elevates local cult brands and paraphernalia. “Lebanon today is a mix of old and new, infused with nostalgia. It’s a mishmash. I’m trying to create it all the time … In London you have the [red] bus, iconic brands such as Marmite … I adapted the same formula to our culture, and made them into products.” Since starting out in London where she obtained degrees from Central St. Martins and the Royal College of Art,