Today I Would Like to Be a Tree is an artistic and humanitarian initiative by Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri. Since 2020, it has answered moments of war, destruction and displacement by turning artistic practice into collective care, with every edition raising funds for those most affected.
At its centre is the tree: a symbol of endurance, memory and belonging, and of roots that hold on to the land even when it is shaken.
“I want to be a tree that of such power that it can even erase the harm."
Abed Al Kadiri
Edition 1 — Beirut, Lebanon, 2020
The project began after the Beirut port explosion of 4 August 2020, which destroyed Galerie Tanit and buried Al Kadiri's exhibition Remains of the Last Red Rose beneath the rubble. In response, he created two monumental murals made of eighty drawings on cardboard, in tribute to his friend, the architect Jean-Marc Bonfils, and to all who lost their lives. All proceeds went to Bassma, helping to renovate 51 homes across Beirut.
Edition 2 — Paris, France, 2023
The Red Olive Tree began as a site-specific mural for Al Kadiri's solo exhibition Genealogy of Repair at Dumonteil Contemporary in Paris. As violence escalated in Gaza, the tree turned entirely red and became a tribute to Palestinian children living through war. Proceeds supported the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF).
Edition 3 — Doha, Qatar, 2024
After the escalation of the war in Lebanon displaced more than 1.2 million people, Al Kadiri spent fourteen days creating Lebanon Valley, a mural at Katara Art Center depicting nine villages from southern Lebanon and the Beqaa. The work was sold in fragments, with proceeds donated through the Qatar Red Crescent to support more than 200 displaced families.
Edition 4 — Lebanon, 2026
In its fourth edition, the project moved from the artist's own hand into the hands of children. Since March 2026, Safe White Space has brought long rolls of white paper to schools and shelters across Lebanon, where 1000 displaced children drew together. Their drawings have become leporello artist books, completed in dialogue with more than 30 Lebanese, Arab and international artists. The edition culminates in an exhibition titled 1000 Houses of Paper at the Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion for Culture in Beirut, followed by an online auction supporting the education and psychosocial well being of children affected by displacement.
Across four editions, Today I Would Like to Be a Tree continues to grow from the same root: art as an act of solidarity, memory and repair.
“I want to be a tree that of such power that it can even erase the harm."
Abed Al Kadiri
About the Artist
Born in Beirut, Abed Al Kadiri is a multidisciplinary artist, publisher and curator who lives between Paris and Beirut. Trained in Fine Arts and Arabic Literature, he explores the translation of violence and the repressed traumas of individuals and communities, with a focus on the destruction of cultural heritage, migration and belonging.
In 2006, fleeing the Israeli war on Lebanon, he moved to Kuwait, where he founded FA Gallery in 2010 and directed Contemporary Art Platform (CAP) Kuwait from 2011 to 2015. In 2017, he co-founded Dongola Limited Editions, a publishing house dedicated to artists' books from the Arab world. His curatorial project Cities under Quarantine | The Mailbox Project, featuring more than 57 Arab artists, has been shown at Villa Romana in Florence, Mathaf in Doha and SAMoCA in Riyadh, he was nominated for Matsutani Prize 2023 with an exhibition held at INHA Institute National d’Histoire de I’Art, Paris (FR) and he was an artist in residence at Cité des arts from 2022 till 2023.
His recent solo exhibitions include Danse Macabre at BeMA in Beirut (2024) and Genealogy of Repair at Dumonteil Contemporary in Paris (2023). His work is held in collections including the British Museum, the Institut du Monde Arabe and the Barjeel Art Foundation. He received the Sursock Museum's Jury Award in 2017. He sits on the board of the Arab Art Institute at LAU and is a founding member of the Mona Saudi Foundation.
Today I Would Like to Be a Tree is an artistic and humanitarian initiative by Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri. Since 2020, it has answered moments of war, destruction and displacement by turning artistic practice into collective care, with every edition raising funds for those most affected.
At its centre is the tree: a symbol of endurance, memory and belonging, and of roots that hold on to the land even when it is shaken.