THE BREAKDOWN: Artist Marwan Chamaa discusses work from ‘The Casino Series’

A cropped view of Marwan Chamaa’s ‘C120S1.’ (Supplied)
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Updated 17 December 2021
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THE BREAKDOWN: Artist Marwan Chamaa discusses work from ‘The Casino Series’

DUBAI: The Lebanese artist discusses a piece from his latest body of work ‘The Casino Series.’ 

My studio was very close to the explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020. You can imagine what happened: It was like a washing machine, turning everything upside down. Most of my paintings were destroyed. 




Marwan Chamaa. (Supplied)

A collector called Johnny Mokbel suggested we work on a series focusing on a scene from Lebanon in a more simplistic, minimalist style. The only scene that was close to my heart was Casino Bay. I have a childhood friend, Ralph, who lives in Ghazir, overlooking the Bay of Jounieh, and underneath is the Casino du Liban. It’s like living in a postcard. The casino is a beautiful building — it was the first casino in the region. Dignitaries, royalty and film stars from all over would visit. It represents the days when Lebanon was ‘the Paris of the Orient.’ It’s still functioning, but Lebanon is in shambles and nobody knows what’s going to happen in the future.

After the explosion, I spent a weekend at Ralph’s flat and took shots on my iPhone from the terrace during different times of the day. 

The series differs from my usual pop-art style. I used oil paint, which takes time to dry. It wasn’t a meditation, exactly, but it was a way for me to gather my thoughts. It took me nine months to finish nine paintings. 

In “C120S1”, ‘C’ stands for casino, ‘120’ is the size of the painting (in centimeters), and ‘S1’ stands for Sunset 1. It means a lot to me personally because I love the time between sunset and sundown. For me, it’s the most magical time of day. The colors that you see were the actual colors that I was seeing on my iPhone; I probably enhanced them a little to make them a bit more dramatic. 




Marwan Chamaa’s ‘C120S1.’ (Supplied)

I am leaving Lebanon for the US soon. I don’t want to be dramatic but this is most likely one of my last paintings as a resident of Lebanon. 


Mona Tougaard wears bridal look at Dior’s Paris show

Updated 27 January 2026
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Mona Tougaard wears bridal look at Dior’s Paris show

  • Rihanna and Brigitte Macron among attendees at show
  • Design part of new director Jonathan Anderson’s vision

DUBAI/ PARIS: Model Mona Tougaard reportedly turned heads in a bridal-inspired look on the Christian Dior runway during the recent Paris Haute Couture Week.

The runway star, who has Danish, Turkish, Somali and Ethiopian ancestry, wore a sculptural white gown with a one-shoulder silhouette and layered petal-like appliques cascading from the bodice to the full skirt.

The asymmetrical bodice featured draped detailing across the torso, while the skirt flared into a voluminous, floor-length shape.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The look was finished with oversized floral statement earrings that echoed the dress’s petal motif.

The floral elements echoed the wider vision of Dior’s new creative director Jonathan Anderson, who drew inspiration from nature and his love of ceramics for his first Haute Couture collection since being appointed to the role.

The 41-year-old faces the rare challenge of overseeing all three fashion lines at the house — women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and Haute Couture — becoming the first designer to do so since Christian Dior himself.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Just days after presenting his latest men’s collection during Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the Northern Irish designer returned with his first couture offering.

The collection featured floral motifs on fabrics or as accessories, while sculptural bulbous dresses were inspired by the work of Kenya-born ceramicist Magdelene Odundo.

“When you copy nature, you always learn something,” Anderson declared in his show notes, which compared Haute Couture to a living ecosystem that is “evolving, adapting, enduring.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Other noteworthy pieces included dresses with spherical birdcage-inspired silhouettes, while other models wore vest tops with their dresses gathered around their waists.

The front row at the Rodin Museum reflected the scale of anticipation surrounding Anderson’s couture debut. France’s first lady Brigitte Macron arrived early, while Lauren Sanchez Bezos swept in shortly after.

Actor Parker Posey twirled briefly in a trench-style dress, playing to the room before settling in.

Then the space fell into a collective pause as celebrities and editors alike waited for Rihanna. When the pop star finally took her seat, the lights dropped and the show began.

Before the show, Anderson admitted in an interview with the Business of Fashion website that he previously thought couture was “irrelevant,” adding that he never really “understood the glamour behind it.”

“Now, I feel like I’m doing a Ph.D. in couture,” he explained.