MEMORIAL OF LIGHT
2025
145 x 20 cm
Brass, stainless steel, light panels
Memorial of Light honors the victims of the Beirut port explosion of August 4, 2020. It acknowledges the 218 lives lost, the thousands wounded, and serves as a reminder that justice has yet to be served. At the heart of the work, a conical mirrored surface represents the nucleus of the explosion, inviting viewers to see themselves within this history and reflect on the ongoing absence of accountability. Surrounding it, 218 illuminated brass cylinders represent the victims who lost their lives, each distinct yet part of a collective whole. Thousands of small perforations across the surface hint at the wounds inflicted—both physical and emotional—bearing silent witness to the scars left on Beirut and its people. A faint halo of light radiates softly onto the wall, evoking hope, transcendence, and the possibility of renewal amid devastation. This memorial is both tribute and call: to honor the victims and remind us all that without justice, there can be no true healing.
Nayla Romanos Iliya is a Lebanese architect and artist. Her formative years in a war-torn country, together with cross-cultural experiences in Paris, London, Hong Kong, and Dubai, have shaped her artistic journey. She worked in architecture and interior design before fully dedicating herself to sculpture in 2011. Her artistic practice explores themes of identity and social concern, merging critical subjects with a singular aesthetic, poetic yet powerful. Influenced by her architectural background, Romanos Iliya is equally at ease working on radically different scales, from monumental public art to intimate series. Her sculptures are found in private collections worldwide, as well as in public institutions including the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris), the American University of Beirut Museum, the Bagri Foundation, and will soon join the collection of the British Museum. She currently lives between London and Beirut.