Requiem for Reqem: An Artistic Journey Through Stone and Memory

The French Institute is welcoming the exhibition "Requiem for Reqem",  from April 7 to the end of May. This exhibition unfolds the work of French photographer and visual artist Lorraine Thiria, renowned for her visual exploration of geological layers around the world. This immersive exhibition invites us into a sensory journey through the stony world of Petra, the ancient Nabataean city once known as Reqem.

Lorraine THIRIA with the director of the French Institute

The exhibition opened in a vibrant artistic atmosphere, with the presence of the artist Lorraine Thiria and the Director of the Institute, Mr. Luc CHEVAILLIER , alongside an engaged audience of art lovers. During the event, the artist gave a heartfelt speech about her creative experience in Petra—a city she had dreamed of visiting for decades. When the dream finally came true, Petra, as she described, far exceeded her expectations and sparked an unprecedented inspiration—one that is clearly embodied in the nature of the works on display, inviting visitors to contemplate the depth of stone and time.

The exhibition aspires to recreate an ambiance akin to a Nabataean theatre carved in rock. During the opening, a sound installation accompanied the visuals—featuring the artist’s own voice reading texts written in Petra, adding a poetic layer that made the audience feel as though the stones themselves were speaking.

THIRIA shares insights with guests during the exhibition opening

A Visual Dialogue with Stone

Through her artistic residency in Jordan, Lorraine deepened her sensory and visual relationship with materiality. Her work fuses photography and painting, treating rocks as living documents of time, telling stories through their layers. "I came to Jordan for an artistic and creative research residency. I’ve always been passionate about Petra—it’s, to me, a magical place for exploration and artistic expression, both in drawing and photography," she says.

Abstract echoes of Petra’s rose-red stones take shape on canvas

Surrounded by the silent majesty of Petra’s stone, Lorraine found her creative spark, where light fuses with rock. She chose to print her photographs on translucent fabrics, weaving a layered world where the visitor wanders through overlapping timelines and shadows that pulse with the site’s mystique. “As a photographer with roots in painting,” she adds, “I always say I capture what I see in a canvas—Petra embodies the very essence of artistic sublimity!”

From solid stone to supple fabric — THIRIA’s art moves with the wind.

The Artist: From Law to Light

Lorraine began her professional path as a lawyer, defending the rights of women and children for over two decades. But something within her yearned for another language—a language of light and color. She left the world of law to pursue studies in mural and visual arts in France, launching her journey as an abstract painter who works with pigments, sand, and oxides to create textured, vibrant walls. Over time, photography became a natural extension of her artistic tools—an avenue through which she explores the profound relationship between time and matter.

Her work has been exhibited in prestigious international shows, including Phot’Aix in France, Un autre regard in South Korea, the French Festival in Malaysia, and Kyotographie in Japan. Her pieces have been acquired by major institutions such as the GoEun Museum in South Korea.

Recently, Lorraine has extended the scope of her art through collaborations with global fashion designers, with her images flowing across textiles and garments—a poetic encounter between photography and fashion.