**Marie Khouri**, *‘I Love’ exhibition at the Art Gallery of Vancouver*, 2022. Expanded polystyrene and polyurea hard coat. Variable dimensions. Photo: When They Find Us. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST.

In The Poetics of Space, French philosopher Gaston Bachelard writes that “sometimes we find ourselves in the presence of a form that guides and encloses our earliest dreams.” Part of the esthetic appeal of Khouri’s art sculptures lies in their dreamy shapes. Khouri draws inspiration from the curvilinear geometries of Arabic calligraphy; in the case of I Love, she directly recreates the graphic forms of the letters to spell the words out in Arabic. I Love is sculptural furniture that flows in an invitation to viewers to sit or recline, gently positioning their bodies in communication with each other, suggesting connections not unlike ligatured Arabic letters. Currently on display at Vancouver Art Gallery, I Love distills Khouri’s desires for beauty, connection and possibility. In summer 2023, Khouri’s friend and collaborator Medhi Walerski, Ballet BC’s artistic director, choreographed a piece for dancers around the installation.

**Marie Khouri**, *Let’s Sit and Talk,* 2014. Eps, polyurea hard coat limited edition 3. Variable dimensions. Photo: Ema Peter. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST.

Let’s Sit and Talk (2014) is more explicit in its intentions and Khouri’s desires. A precursor to I Love, Khouri applies Arabic writing to three-dimensional space. The emotional resonances of the Arabic phrasing are translated into sculptures that intimate conversations with positive outcomes. The all-white pieces, initially designed in clay and scaled up in coated expanded polystyrene, position elbows and knees into configurations that create openness and interest.

**Marie Khouri**, *DH2 (RED)*, 2013. Powdered bronze. 305 x 61 x 61 cm. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST.

DH2 (RED) is a pair of two loops of bronze mounted on three steel pipes. Painted a cool and vibrant red, the strips animate their surroundings with whimsy. There is an insistent expression of joyful presence. Bronze, according to Khouri, has an eternal presence — immovable but not immutable, the alloy is responsive to its environment as it acquires an aged patina.

Both in exterior and interior spaces, Khouri’s sculptures change the nature of their environments in a subtle but distinct manner. The edged lines and boundaries of her work, reminiscent of British sculptor Henry Moore’s reclining figures, are in gentle harmony with their surroundings. Her understanding of materials — from ceramics and stainless steel to bronze and polystyrene — further enhance the sculptures’ environmental interactions.

This article is an excerpt and and is available in full in the Fall/Winter 2023-2024 issue of Studio Magazine.