BENEATH THE SURFACE

Beneath the Surface is a 7-metre calligraphic installation created by Michele Cade Khelifi for the Bluewaters Art Festival in Dubai. Layered with gestural script and natural pigments, the piece explores the emotional terrain that lies beneath outward appearances—what we carry, conceal, or attempt to express. Drawing from her intuitive approach to calligraphy and movement, Michele invites viewers to slow down and engage with the nuances of mark-making as a form of quiet reflection. Suspended between abstraction and language, the work transforms a public space into a meditative encounter with memory, vulnerability, and collective presence.