Art Now in Lebanon
Curated by Andree Sfeir Semler
Art
now in Lebanon is a show on Lebanese contemporary art today.
Lebanese
artists from the XXth century until the 1970ies work in the
tradition of western art. There is no specific art or style
which roots in a Lebanese tradition.
There is a vacuum in the development and in the art production
in Lebanon during the Lebanese war.
It is only around the beginning of the 1990ies that singular
artists emerge and start developing characteristics which
we can describe as a typical Lebanese artistic style.
These artists are all today in there late thirties. They do
all know each other, they meet, discuss, connect but each
of them work on his own and has developed a personal hand
writing. They are all conceptual artists and have in common
the topic they research: they work on the collective memory
of the country, on archives : press archives, photographic
archives, story telling…They are all interested in the
political, geographical and cultural history of this part
of the world with a focus on Lebanon.
Their
artistic production feels therefore often almost documentary.
The art pieces are testimonies of our past and oracles for
our future. These artists are writing History.
The topics they are interested in dictate their mediums: they
write, make videos, photographs, composite digital images
by using archival means or make sculptural installations.
None of them paints or draws…
These
artists are: The Atlas Group / Walid Raad, Khalil Joreige
& Joanna Hadjitouma, Lamia Joreige, Rabih Mroue, Walid
Raad, Marwan Rechmaoui, Walid Sadek, Jalal Toufic, Paola Yacoub,
Akram Zaatari.
There works are exhibited in the main building.
I have
invited four very young Lebanese artists from the upcoming
generation: they are in their twenties. These continue and
innovate new visions… These artists are: Ziad Antar,
Mazen Kerbaj, Randa Mirza, Rayyane Tabet. Their works are
displayed in the blue house.
Andree Sfeir-Semler,
Hamburg and Beirut
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press
clips