I am an artivist. I activate through my art and expression. My work is interdisciplinary and fuses the fields of poetry, music, film, interaction, and performance. Having started as a casting director, I have touched a sensibility between the people and the system. Forging ahead as a filmmaker, my short film Zugzwang won at the Yale Student Festival and it was screened at the Beirut International Women Film Festival, Berlin Revolution Film Festival, among others. My practice engages in the space between the being and their reflections, in the movement between their conscious and unconscious – I define it as Wujud (Existence) – my ongoing creative process. Since my childhood, writing, composing, and singing have been supporting my expression and my growth, by radiating radical thoughts, existential questions, and empowering ideas. I have performed my original writings and compositions during live electro-oriental concerts at several venues in the Middle East. During the Lebanese Revolution that started in October 2019 and ever since, I have been capable of touching people by raising a humane and transparent voice – this got the cause noticed on an international level and featured in the New York Times, Arte, Le Temps, Vogue, among others. I am an ardent public speaker, who has engaged in events and actions on the streets of Beirut and have been invited to speak and lead programs at numerous universities and reputed forums in Lebanon, Europe, and America. My journey advocates for freedom, love, and consciousness through my vocal and visual expression, into my present being, community, and environment.
My published work:
vocal/visual expression “وجود العهد” (The Mandate), available to stream on all platforms.
Soundtrack -Series: Beirut 6:07 -Ep. Abbas and Fadel - Emmy Awards nominated
"My Land Is Calling" published in May 2021, album Beirut 20/21
Beirut & Beyond Music Support Program, Oslo World, Sacem, and Théâtre de la Ville
"Corrupted Matter" was shared on August 2021 in alignment with the one-year memorial of the Beirut explosion: vocal/visual expression + live intervention
”Orienccitalement de vous connaître” - meeting between the East and the West
A collaboration between Perla Joe and Gary Germanier discussing life thematics from New York to the valleys of Switzerland, remembering Beirut.
Live screening and performance available for:
“Existence | bla bla bla” = 12min film, live poetry, centering, and discussion.
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@perlajoem
Vimeo: vimeo.com/perlajoe
Instagram: @perla.joe
Diego Ibarra Sanchez for the New York Times
Perla Joe lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon
In 2022 she will be between France and Switzerland for her Artist’s Residencies
Currently on the look out for collaborations in New York
Email: perla.joe.maalouli@gmail.com
Perla Joe Maalouli
1992 – Beirut, Lebanon / Brooklyn, New York
perla.joe.maalouli@gmail.com
ARTIST – ACTIVIST – POET – SINGER – FILMMAKER – COMMUNITY LEAD – PRODUCER
Constantly interacting and creating content for the development of Wujud (Existence) – a creative process based on self discovery and that encompasses multidisciplinary forms of expression.
ART PUBLICATIONS_________________________________________________________
2023
. “The generation who dared say no”
Zine poetry extract from “Existence | bla bla bla”
. Ibrahim Maalouf interviewed by Perla Joe [link]
2022
. Audio Phonic Thematic Installation – Chateau Mercier / Switzerland
“Orienccitalement de vous connaître” - meeting between the East and the West
[link to the podcast]
2021
. “Corrupted Matter”, poem/song/video published in August 2021
A personal/collective project for the one-year memorial of the Beirut Explosion
[link to vocal and visual expression]
. “My Land is Calling”, released in May 2021
Album Beirut 20/21, [link to song]
. Letter to my grandmother
Women from the East, March 2021 [link]
2020
. “Within the Essence”, Révoltes, FIFDH, November, page 72, [link to publication]
. “The Mandate - وجود العهد”, vocal and visual expression, November, [link to music video]
Soundtrack - series: Beirut 6:07, Ep. Abbas and Fadel / Emmy Awards nominated
. “Beirut, now what?”, Medium, 27 August, [link to text]
. “Resistillness”, Medium, 8 June, [link to text]
. “Mindfulness, ignorance and what’s numb in-between” Medium, 11 March, [link to text]
2018
. “All is Beautiful - كلو حلو”, a soulful collaborative project, unreleased [private link to album]
. “Pohibaw - Progression of happiness in black and white”, Digital Publication [link]
2015
. “Zugzwang”, [link to short film]
PERFORMANCES__________________________________________________________
2023
. “Existence | blab la bla” – video projection/live poetic performance / English edition
Presented in Beirut in times of war and reflection on the revolution, October, Beit El Laffe
Presented in Brooklyn in commemoration of the Beirut explosion, August, Hart 409
. “May our voices be heard” / interactive installation at tildeathnyc [announcement]
. “Bars for thoughts”, poetry and chants
Sleepwalk / Brooklyn [Link]
2022
. “Existence | bla bla bla”, video projection/live poetic performance
Presented as a farewell in Beirut, June 2022, Onomatopoeia [Link]
Presented at Château de Goutelas as part of the artistic program “Nafas”
. Radio live - “Spécial Liban”” Two spectacles - Reims, Festival “Faraway”, [link to announcement]
. Radio live - “Spécial Liban” Three Spectacles - Lyon, Théâtre de la Croix-Rousse, [link to announcement]
2021
. Live Intervention – Corrupted Matter in repetition – Street Performance
Beirut, August 4th 2021 – Rooftop / City / Sound exposure [Link|
2020
. Beirut Jam Sessions – “Perla Joe / Wujud”, Live Insta Fest [link to announcement]
. Now Beirut – “Perla Joe / In a New Era”, Live acoustic session [link to music video]
2019
. Mar Mikhael, Beirut – “The Revolution of Love” - Public Poetic Intervention
. Mishkal Festival, Masrah Al Madina, Beirut - Live Electronic Oriental Performance
. Tkapart, French Institute, Cairo, Egypt - Live Electronic Oriental Performance [snippet]
. The Corner’s Pub, Amman, Jordan - “Kello Helo”, Live Concert [link to performance]
PANELS, PODCASTS, AND INTERVIEWS______________________________________
2022
. Panel “How does liberty, rights, and justice interfere in creation?”
March 19, alongside Gabriela Golder, Château de Goutelas
. Radio Interview - Radio Nova Lyon - “A Youth Not Resigned” - Perla Joe / Artivist [link]
2021
. Interview, Perla Joe Maalouli: Corrupted Matter
MTV Lebanon, “Alive” TV show, section “happening”, 2 August 202 [link to interview]
. Podcast, “Autour de Nova à Beyrouth”
Radio Nova Paris, 1 May 2021, [link to podcast]
2020
. Interview, “Génération Demain : Perla Joe Maalouli, la vie en lutte au Liban”
France Inter, 13 October 2020, [link to video]
. Interview, “Being 20 - Perla Joe’s story”
Fawra Media, Open Media Hub, 3 August 2020
. Interview, talk with Lilian Mauthofer and Perla Joe Maalouli, “Thawra”
Art Burst Berlin, 7 July 2020, [link to announcement]
. Panelist, “Women’s face in the revolution”
KYP Community, Beirut, 25 January 2020, [announcement]
. Invited Speaker, International Women’s Day
LibrAdio, Geneva, Switzerland, 8 March 2020 [snippet] [program]
. Panelist, “Locals revolting into a global revolution”
Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) [link]
. Invited Speaker - “Perla Joe Maalouli”
Utopia Podcast, FIFDH, Geneva, 10 March 2020 [link to podcast]
. Interview - Connexion - “Perla Joe Maalouli: Cinéast, artiste, activiste”
Maghreb Orient Express, TV5 France, 13 March 2020 [link to interview]
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT__________________________________________________
2023
. Facilitator at Earth Day pop-up at Herbert Von King Park with MFTA
. Teaching artist at PS141 / image and light curated program
15 sessions + photography exhibition
. Art pop-up with MFTA at Green Fest PS32
. Botanical Garden Bronx art pop-up with Materials for the Arts
. Teaching Artist with Material for the Arts at PS55 Queens
. Masked Marvelous with MFTA / curating space and experience of rest and engagement
. Machine Dazzle exhibition launch/spin art facilitator
. Invited speaker Pen America Student Summit at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville
“Free Speech Frontiers Around the World”
. Invited Speaker on Student Summit at UTK
. “Free Expression Around the World” / Spring 2023, February
. Class lecturer on “Artistic Freedom of Expression at Pen America, June
. Invited speaker, NYC Institute / Expression Around the World, July / Bard High School
2022
. Leading an atelier in creative expression and movement
Martinique / Palais Chaillot Paris [Link]
. Invited speak, 40 college and high school students from around the US and abroad
Free Expression Advocacy Institute, Pen America / Fall 2022 Brooklyn
. Invited speaker, art, justice, and human rights
Cultural center of leisure , Boen, March 2022
. Invited speaker, art, justice, and human rights
Volubilis center, Montbrison, March 2022
. Invited speaker “Perrot D’Ablancourt College”
“The Lebanese between crisis and desire for liberty”
With Villa Nova, Reims, 4 February
. Invited speaker “Reims Academy”
“CLEMI - Centre of education of media and information”
With Villa Nova, “Inform yourself to understand the world”, 4 February
. Invited Speaker for an open discussion with students, Vertical Architecture studio
Semester Project: “There will be blood”, American University of Beirut, 14 February 2020
ARTICLES_________________________________________________________________
2022
. “Le combat inachevé et continu des féministes de la thaoura ”
L’Orient Le Jour, 22 Octobre 2022 [Link]
. “Building a creative revolution”
Lëtzebuerger Journal, April 2022, [Link]
2021
. “Deux ans après la révolution, le Liban effondré veut se refonder ”
Libération, 13 Octobre 2021, [link]
. “L’autre bataille, dans l’art, de Perla Joe Maalouli”
L’Orient Le Jour, 7 August 2021, [link]
2020 – 2019
. “Thawra”, a feminist movement
48h Neukölln art festival BOOM, Art Burst Berlin, Lilian Mauthofer [link]
. Liban : en ville comme à la campagne, la population appelle à "la révolution"
France Info, 16 January 202, [link to article]
. “Les Libanais écœurés par la descente aux enfers de leur pays”
Le Figaro, 19 October 2020, [link to article]
. “Wie viel kann ein Mensch ertragen?”, Blick TV [link to article]
. “A catalyst for revolution”, Vogue, 6 August 2020, [link to article]
. “Perla Joe, la révolution de l’intérieur”, Le Temps, 7 March 2020, [link to article]
. “In Her Words”, The New York Times, 6 February 2020, [link to article]
. “Gardienne de(s) but(s) de la révolution”
. “Perla Joe Maalouli, gardienne de(s) but(s) de la révoution”
L’Orient Le Jour, 9 December 2019, [link to article]
. “Lebanon slips deeper into crisis”, Reuters, 17 November 2019 [link to article]
ARTIST PORTRAITS, VIDEO/PHOTOS/MAIN CHARACTER_________________________________
2022
. Main Character, feature documentary, “Suspendu”, [link to information]
2020
. Photo Portraits, “Thawra” publication, Lilian Mauthofer, [link to publication]
. “Artistes à Beyrouth: Perla Joe Maalouli, cinéaste et activiste, une des figures de la révolution libanaise”
Radio Television Suisse (RTS), 28 August, [link to interview]
2019
. “Liban le peuple demande des comptes”
Arte TV Caravelle Productions, 19 Novembre, [link to documentary]
. “Singing the Song of the Revolution: Perla Joe Maalouli”
Womena, 23 December, [link to video]
. “The Revolution of Love in Lebanon: Perla Joe Maalouli”
Womena, 26 December, [link to video]
. “30 Artists Inspired by the Thawra”, photo portraits by Monique Chebli
2013
. Beyond the cloth: “The Kafiye Project”, Kaflab, Chady Younes photo portraits
[link to photo portraits]
FILMMAKING and CASTING___________________________________________________
2013 / Present
. Filmmaker (producer, director, videographer, editor, colorist) [link to showcase]
. Director / Director of Photography [link to showcase]
2013 / 2018
. Casting Director (music videos, short films, tv and digital advertising) [link to showcase]
AWARDS and EDUCATION_____________________________________________________
2023 Juror at the Mermaid Parade
2022 Journalism Formation – Annahar Academy
2022 Artist Residency - Château de Goutelas (1 month / France - March)
2022 Artist Residency - Villa Ruffieux (1 month / Switzerland - April)
2021 Beirut & Beyond - Music Support Program, Beirut, Lebanon
2021 Music Copyright and Royalties - Musicians Support Program, Khyam Allami
2019 In The Moment: Conceptual Portraits, Salma El Kashef, Photopia, Cairo
2018 Winner of the editing award, Yale College of Arts, for “Zugzwang” a short satirical film
2017 Completed 12/18 credits towards an M.A. in Filmmaking / Cinematography
2015 Bachelor of Audio/Visual Arts, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon
2010 Associate of Arts Interior Design, Sagesse Technique, Lebanon