Yasmine Rifaii is an artist (b. 1995) from El Mina, Lebanon. Her practice traverses curatorial, editorial, architectural, and visual art disciplines. She is the Creative Director of Haven for Artists, a Beirut-based cultural feminist organization dedicated to knowledge production through exhibitions, publications, and a growing international artist network. Yasmine is also the co-founder of Al Hayya, a print magazine and online platform dedicated to the Arab woman where she served as the Editorial Director and Co-Creative Director for issues 1 through 4. Care is central to her practice, both as a guiding principle and a field of exploration, shaping her understanding of how we relate to one another, to art, and to the collective.

Her most recent work is a publication titled I will always be looking for you – A Queer Anthology on Arab Art, co-edited with Nadim El Choufi and published by Haven for Artists. The anthology brings together the work of 31 visual artists and 24 commissioned writers from the Arab speaking world and its diaspora, foregrounding queer subjectivities within Arab artistic discourse.

Organised by British Council in partnership with Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and Arts Council of Wales/Wales Arts International, this residency is part of a new programme designed to support artists affected by conflict from Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine and Ukraine through residencies at leading cultural institutions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Read more about this initiative here.