Wissam Melhem is an artist, architect and landscape designer based in Beirut, Lebanon. Wissam exhibited his first solo show ‘Emancipation’ in June-July 2020 at Art on 56th Gallery in Gemmayze, Beirut, an independent visual arts gallery. He regularly exhibits with Art on 56th Gallery as well as independently at different art events in the cosmopolitan city of Beirut. More recently, Wissam participated in the “Beirut We Love You” charity organization event, where his paintings were featured in a moving mural projected on the An Nahar Building in Downtown Beirut, in a show of international support for Beirut, on October 4-7, 2020.   As an artist, Wissam explores contemporary socio-cultural themes through processes of sketching, drawing and painting. His work encompasses small sketches, drawings, and paintings, as well as large-scale paintings and triptychs/polyptychs. Wissam uses his art to speak up about the tragedies that have befallen Beirut in the recent years. Nonetheless, his work is profound on a transcultural level, and surpasses boundaries. Wissam’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture and a Master of Arts degree in Landscape Urbanism from Notre Dame University in Beirut. He is an experienced architect and educator, working for over 10 years as Senior Architect at Nadim Karam and Hapsitus Architects in Beirut. He teaches at the Faculty of Architecture, Arts and Design at NDU and at the Landscape Architecture department at the American University of Beirut.   Wissam aspires to secure residencies in Europe in the upcoming years. He currently lives in Lebanon.