Thread & Nail by Makram Hilal
About Makram
Instagram: @thread_nail
Makram Hilal is a Lebanese Thread and Nail Artist whose practice marries the tactile traditions of his homeland with the modern dynamism of Dubai, where he now lives and works. Raised in a culture that prizes meticulous handcraft, Hilal absorbed time-honored techniques from an early age, honing a discipline that underpins every composition he creates today.
Dubai’s soaring skyline and stark desert vistas have become catalysts for his creativity, prompting a dialogue between rigid structure and fluid expression. Using only nails and delicately tensioned threads, Hilal builds layered visual narratives that speak to identity, memory, and the invisible connections binding people and place. Each piece is the result of a meditative process in which precision, patience, and storytelling converge, transforming humble materials into intricate tapestries of light, shadow, and line.
Hilal’s work seeks to bridge cultures, inviting viewers to find common ground in shared emotion and craftsmanship while pushing the conceptual and technical limits of the thread-and-nail medium. His dedication to detail and his ability to weave personal and collective histories into compelling forms have earned him international recognition.
Through each exhibition and every meticulously-strung line, Makram Hilal continues to expand the expressive possibilities of thread and nail art, forging connections that transcend geography and culture.
Selected Exhibitions
- Venice Contemporary 2025 — Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, Venice, Italy (ITSLIQUID Group)
- Session – 02 (2025) — Galería Azur, Berlin, Germany
- Emerging Artist 2024 — Bakerhouse Gallery, Graz, Austria (scan.art finalist)
- World Art Dubai 2024 — Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE
