ourouba The Eye of Lebanon Edited by Rose Issa i FOREWORD BY GEORGES CORM
ourouba The Eye of Lebanon EditedBY byGEORGES Rose Issa CORM Edited by Rose Issa i FOREWORD
Rose Issa Projects
ourouba The Eye of Lebanon EditedBY byGEORGES Rose Issa CORM Edited by Rose Issa i FOREWORD
Rose Issa Projects
beirut art fair For the centerpiece exhibition of its 8th edition, BEIRUT ART
“Ourouba, The Eye of Lebanon”
FAIR presents OUROUBA: THE EYE OF LEBANON.
is part of BEIRUT ART FAIR 2017
Dedicated to the complexities and specificities of modern
Organized by BAF EVENT SARL
and contemporary art in the Middle East, the exhibition
RCB 1019674 - VAT 3074150
gathers a selection of 70 key works by more than 40 artists,
P.O. Box 116 2270 – Beirut – Lebanon
drawn from 20 of Lebanon’s most prestigious public and
info@beirut-art-fair.com
private collections. OUROUBA: THE EYE OF LEBANON offers a unique perspective on the meaning of “Arabicity” in today’s world, and on the ways in which Arab artists have reacted to the uncertainties, challenges and turmoil of the past decade. We are deeply grateful to Rose Issa for her enthusiastic acceptance of our invitation to curate this exhibition and for the unparalleled expertise she brought to the work it entailed. It is our hope that OUROUBA: THE EYE OF LEBANON will direct us towards a better understanding of artistic expression and its implications in and for the Arab world today.
Fadi Yazigi Untitled
Laure d’Hauteville
Ink on bread, 21 x 21 x 9 cm, 2010
Director, BEIRUT ART FAIR
Yola Noujaim Collection, © Mansour Dib
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7
beirut art fair For the centerpiece exhibition of its 8th edition, BEIRUT ART
“Ourouba, The Eye of Lebanon”
FAIR presents OUROUBA: THE EYE OF LEBANON.
is part of BEIRUT ART FAIR 2017
Dedicated to the complexities and specificities of modern
Organized by BAF EVENT SARL
and contemporary art in the Middle East, the exhibition
RCB 1019674 - VAT 3074150
gathers a selection of 70 key works by more than 40 artists,
P.O. Box 116 2270 – Beirut – Lebanon
drawn from 20 of Lebanon’s most prestigious public and
info@beirut-art-fair.com
private collections. OUROUBA: THE EYE OF LEBANON offers a unique perspective on the meaning of “Arabicity” in today’s world, and on the ways in which Arab artists have reacted to the uncertainties, challenges and turmoil of the past decade. We are deeply grateful to Rose Issa for her enthusiastic acceptance of our invitation to curate this exhibition and for the unparalleled expertise she brought to the work it entailed. It is our hope that OUROUBA: THE EYE OF LEBANON will direct us towards a better understanding of artistic expression and its implications in and for the Arab world today.
Fadi Yazigi Untitled
Laure d’Hauteville
Ink on bread, 21 x 21 x 9 cm, 2010
Director, BEIRUT ART FAIR
Yola Noujaim Collection, © Mansour Dib
6
7
Ourouba The Eye of Lebanon by Rose Issa
Since 2001, Arab societies have powerlessly witnessed violent
exhibition in a talk2 with curator Michket Krifa, insists that ‘the
events which brought not only chaos in their midst, but also a
21st century starts with the Second Gulf War (1990-1991), a
frightening extension of a terrorism claiming itself to be ‘Islamic’,
decade before 9/11 and two before the “Arab Spring”. This
inside and outside their lands.
conflict that was the main regional echo to the end of the Cold War opened a moment of cultural liberalization with the Arabian
The deliberate disaggregation of the Arab world, with its ugly
Peninsula as a center’.
face of violence, military agendas and theft from historical sites in countries including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen
As a guest curator of the BEIRUT ART FAIR’s non-profit
and Libya, has generated an urgency: directing creative minds
exhibition, I have been interested in the relevance of artworks –
to reflect more intensely on life, resilience and beauty, despite
which need not be pessimistic – and in an art than reflects
the mental and physical chaos around them. So how do artists
the aesthetic, conceptual and socio-political concerns of the
from the region, mostly secular, respond to, express, offset or
Arab world over the last fifteen years; artworks that reflect,
avoid these turbulences, mercenary interventions, humiliation
preferably poignantly, beautifully, with grace and humor –
and surveillance?
those concerns. Hence the works suggest no theory-laden messages and no particular philosophy other than the artist’s
Curated through visits to some twenty private and institutional
own experience of life and essence of art in war torn zones.
collections in Lebanon, the exhibition Ourouba (Arabicity), The Eye of Lebanon at the BEIRUT ART FAIR 2017, focuses on artistic
In the current booming cultural scene of Beirut, where several
productions and acquisitions of the 21st century. It features
private museums are taking shape and some have already
installations, paintings, photography, video and sculptural works
opened3, Ourouba shows how artists and collectors, with
from more than forty artists from the Arab world.
different tastes and visions, challenge the confines of their identity and reshape the parameters of their cultural traditions.
Oussama Baalbaki, Portrait of Ayman Badreddine
For many in the West, the promotion and focus on the region’s
Acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 cm, 2015
art began after the 1991 invasion of Iraq, that is why Alexandre
Following the success of ReOrientations, Contemporary Arab
Oil on canvas, 105 x 80 cm, 2014
Dr Ayman Badreddine Collection
Kazerouni, author of ‘Le Mirroir des cheikhs’ , who joins the
Representations, at the European Parliament in Brussels in
KA Modern & Contemporary Art Collection
8
1
Marwan Sahmarani, Portrait of AK
9
Ourouba The Eye of Lebanon by Rose Issa
Since 2001, Arab societies have powerlessly witnessed violent
exhibition in a talk2 with curator Michket Krifa, insists that ‘the
events which brought not only chaos in their midst, but also a
21st century starts with the Second Gulf War (1990-1991), a
frightening extension of a terrorism claiming itself to be ‘Islamic’,
decade before 9/11 and two before the “Arab Spring”. This
inside and outside their lands.
conflict that was the main regional echo to the end of the Cold War opened a moment of cultural liberalization with the Arabian
The deliberate disaggregation of the Arab world, with its ugly
Peninsula as a center’.
face of violence, military agendas and theft from historical sites in countries including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen
As a guest curator of the BEIRUT ART FAIR’s non-profit
and Libya, has generated an urgency: directing creative minds
exhibition, I have been interested in the relevance of artworks –
to reflect more intensely on life, resilience and beauty, despite
which need not be pessimistic – and in an art than reflects
the mental and physical chaos around them. So how do artists
the aesthetic, conceptual and socio-political concerns of the
from the region, mostly secular, respond to, express, offset or
Arab world over the last fifteen years; artworks that reflect,
avoid these turbulences, mercenary interventions, humiliation
preferably poignantly, beautifully, with grace and humor –
and surveillance?
those concerns. Hence the works suggest no theory-laden messages and no particular philosophy other than the artist’s
Curated through visits to some twenty private and institutional
own experience of life and essence of art in war torn zones.
collections in Lebanon, the exhibition Ourouba (Arabicity), The Eye of Lebanon at the BEIRUT ART FAIR 2017, focuses on artistic
In the current booming cultural scene of Beirut, where several
productions and acquisitions of the 21st century. It features
private museums are taking shape and some have already
installations, paintings, photography, video and sculptural works
opened3, Ourouba shows how artists and collectors, with
from more than forty artists from the Arab world.
different tastes and visions, challenge the confines of their identity and reshape the parameters of their cultural traditions.
Oussama Baalbaki, Portrait of Ayman Badreddine
For many in the West, the promotion and focus on the region’s
Acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 cm, 2015
art began after the 1991 invasion of Iraq, that is why Alexandre
Following the success of ReOrientations, Contemporary Arab
Oil on canvas, 105 x 80 cm, 2014
Dr Ayman Badreddine Collection
Kazerouni, author of ‘Le Mirroir des cheikhs’ , who joins the
Representations, at the European Parliament in Brussels in
KA Modern & Contemporary Art Collection
8
1
Marwan Sahmarani, Portrait of AK
9
Mona Hatoum Door Mat (Welcome) Stainless steel pins, nickel plated pins, glue and canvas, 3 x 71 x 40.5 cm, 1996 Private Collection, Š Mansour Dib
Selected works from private and public collections in Lebanon
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Mona Hatoum Door Mat (Welcome) Stainless steel pins, nickel plated pins, glue and canvas, 3 x 71 x 40.5 cm, 1996 Private Collection, Š Mansour Dib
Selected works from private and public collections in Lebanon
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15
ayman baalbaki Barriers I
MEA
Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 94 cm, 2012
Mixed media on canvas, 200 x 400 cm, 2014-2015
Samir & Claude Abillama Collection, © Mansour Dib
Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
24
25
ayman baalbaki Barriers I
MEA
Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 94 cm, 2012
Mixed media on canvas, 200 x 400 cm, 2014-2015
Samir & Claude Abillama Collection, © Mansour Dib
Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
24
25
Tagreed darghouth Untitled
katya traboulsi Perpetual Identities – Palestine
Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 120 cm, 2015
Hand made brass, 75 x 25 cm, + base, 2016
Saradar Collection, © Agop Kanledjian
KA Modern & Contemporary Art Collection, © Mansour Dib
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33
Tagreed darghouth Untitled
katya traboulsi Perpetual Identities – Palestine
Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 120 cm, 2015
Hand made brass, 75 x 25 cm, + base, 2016
Saradar Collection, © Agop Kanledjian
KA Modern & Contemporary Art Collection, © Mansour Dib
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33
Nadia Safieddine Prédateur Oil on canvas, 200 x 180 cm, 2015 Dr Ayman Badreddine Collection
Serwan Baran Untitled Acrylic on canvas, 222 x 202.5 cm, 2014 Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
Courtesy of Agial Gallery, Beirut, © Mansour Dib
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35
Nadia Safieddine Prédateur Oil on canvas, 200 x 180 cm, 2015 Dr Ayman Badreddine Collection
Serwan Baran Untitled Acrylic on canvas, 222 x 202.5 cm, 2014 Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
Courtesy of Agial Gallery, Beirut, © Mansour Dib
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35
Mahmoud Obaidi Farewell Kiss Mixed media on canvas, 113 x 113 x 15 cm, 2012 Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
38
Zoulikha Bouabdellah Mirage I Stainless steel and car paint, 193 x 193 cm, 2011 Yola Noujaim Collection, © Mansour Dib
39
Mahmoud Obaidi Farewell Kiss Mixed media on canvas, 113 x 113 x 15 cm, 2012 Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
38
Zoulikha Bouabdellah Mirage I Stainless steel and car paint, 193 x 193 cm, 2011 Yola Noujaim Collection, © Mansour Dib
39
Abdul rahman Katanani Wave Barbed wire, 200 x 400 cm, 2016 El-Nimer Collection
44
Beach House
The Girl with a Rope
Corrugated steel
Corrugated steel and barbed wire
Variable dimension, 2012
Variable dimension, 2011
Private Collection
Private Collection
45
Abdul rahman Katanani Wave Barbed wire, 200 x 400 cm, 2016 El-Nimer Collection
44
Beach House
The Girl with a Rope
Corrugated steel
Corrugated steel and barbed wire
Variable dimension, 2012
Variable dimension, 2011
Private Collection
Private Collection
45
raeda Saadeh Angel
Moving
Photograph mounted on aluminium, 120 x 100 cm, 2003
Photograph mounted on aluminium, 100 x 120 cm, 2003
El-Nimer Collection
El-Nimer Collection
48
49
raeda Saadeh Angel
Moving
Photograph mounted on aluminium, 120 x 100 cm, 2003
Photograph mounted on aluminium, 100 x 120 cm, 2003
El-Nimer Collection
El-Nimer Collection
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49
Mahmoud shubBar
Untitled
Untitled
Mixed media on aluminium street sign
Mixed media on aluminium street sign, 80 x 120.5 cm, 2015
80 x 140.5 cm (left) and 180 x 121 cm (right), 2015
Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
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61
Mahmoud shubBar
Untitled
Untitled
Mixed media on aluminium street sign
Mixed media on aluminium street sign, 80 x 120.5 cm, 2015
80 x 140.5 cm (left) and 180 x 121 cm (right), 2015
Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
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61
Youssef abdelke Martyr’s Mother Charcoal on paper, 100 x 100 cm, 2012 Private collection, Courtesy of Galerie Tanit, Beirut
64
Tanya Bakalian safieddine Camps (Borj Hammoud) Mixed media, paint and collages on wood, 100 x 100 cm, 2012 KA Modern & Contemporary Art Collection, Š Mansour Dib
65
Youssef abdelke Martyr’s Mother Charcoal on paper, 100 x 100 cm, 2012 Private collection, Courtesy of Galerie Tanit, Beirut
64
Tanya Bakalian safieddine Camps (Borj Hammoud) Mixed media, paint and collages on wood, 100 x 100 cm, 2012 KA Modern & Contemporary Art Collection, Š Mansour Dib
65
Nadim Asfar Temple de Ain Hersha, Jabal El Cheikh 2 Inkjet print on Fine art paper, 87 x 120 cm, 2011 Hubert Fattal Collection, Courtesy of the Artist
Randa Mirza Remaking the city Pigment ink on photo paper, 179 x 90 cm, 2011 Solidere Collection Courtesy of Galerie Tanit, Beirut
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Nadim Asfar Temple de Ain Hersha, Jabal El Cheikh 2 Inkjet print on Fine art paper, 87 x 120 cm, 2011 Hubert Fattal Collection, Courtesy of the Artist
Randa Mirza Remaking the city Pigment ink on photo paper, 179 x 90 cm, 2011 Solidere Collection Courtesy of Galerie Tanit, Beirut
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ziad dalloul Celebration of the Absent Oil on canvas, triptych, 194 x 129.5 cm each, 2013 Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
ziad dalloul Celebration of the Absent Oil on canvas, triptych, 194 x 129.5 cm each, 2013 Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation Collection
List of Artists Youssef Abdelke
Tanya Bakalian Safieddine
Abdul Rahman Katanani
Raeda Saadeh
(b. 1951, Qamishli, Syria) p. 64
(b. 1954, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 65
(b. 1983, Beirut, Lebanon, Palestinian) pp. 44-47
(b. 1977, Umm al-Fahm, Palestine) pp. 48-49
Adel Abidin
Serwan Baran
Hanaa Mallalah
Nadia Safieddine
(b. 1973, Baghdad, Iraq) pp. 40-41
(b. 1968, Baghdad, Iraq) p. 35
(b. 1958, Thee Qar, Iraq) p. 56
(b. 1973, Dakar, Senegal) p. 34
Ziad Abillama
Jean Boghossian
Ahmed Mater
Nada Sehnaoui
(b. 1969, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 71
(b. 1949, Aleppo, Syria, Armenian) p. 55
(b. 1979, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia) p. 66
(b. 1958, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 68-69
sadik kwaish alfraji
Zoulikha Bouabdellah
Randa Mirza
Amer Shomali
(b. 1960, Baghdad, Iraq) p. 63
(b. 1977, Moscow, Russia, Algerian/French) p. 39
(b. 1978, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 77
(b. 1981, Kuwait, Palestinian) p. 50
ziad antar
Ali Cherri
CLAUDE MOUFAREGE
Mahmoud ShubBar
(b. 1978, Saida, Lebanon) pp. 74-75
(b. 1976, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 67
(b. 1951, Dakar, Senegal) p. 70
(b. 1965, Babel, Iraq) pp. 54, 60-61
Nadim Asfar
Ziad Dalloul
Rabih Mroué
Hanibal Srouji
(b.1976, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 76
(b. 1953, Soueida, Syria) pp. 78-79
(b. 1967, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 73
(b. 1957, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 57
Kader Attia
Tagreed Darghouth
Nabil Nahas
Hady Sy
(b. 1970, Seine-Saint-Dugny, France) p. 62
(b. 1979, Saida, Lebanon) pp. 30-32
(b. 1949, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 18-20
(b. 1964, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 52-53
Ayman Baalbaki
Ali Omar Ermes
Mahmoud Obaidi
Katya Traboulsi
(b. 1975, Odeissé, Lebanon) pp. 22-25
(b. 1945, Tripoli, Libya) pp. 82-83
(b. 1966, Baghdad, Iraq) p. 38
(b. 1960, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 33
Mohamad Said Baalbaki
Mounir Fatmi
The atlas group (Walid Raad)
Sharif Waked
(b. 1974, Odeissé, Lebanon) pp. 5, 17, 28-29
(b. 1970, Tangier, Morocco) pp. 58-59
(b. 1967, Chbanieh, Lebanon) p. 72
(b. 1964, Nazareth, Palestine) pp. 42-43
Oussama Baalbaki
Mona Hatoum
Mohammad Rawas
Fadi Yazigi
(b. 1978, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 8, 36-37
(b. 1952, Beirut, Lebanon, Palestinian) pp. 15, 16, 51
(b.1951, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 87
(b. 1966, Latakiya, Syria) p. 7
Ginane Bacho
Marwan Kassab Bachi
Marwan Sahmarani
(b. 1947, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 21
(b. 1934 Damascus, Syria, d. 2016, Berlin) pp. 26-27
(b. 1970, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 9, 80-81
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85
List of Artists Youssef Abdelke
Tanya Bakalian Safieddine
Abdul Rahman Katanani
Raeda Saadeh
(b. 1951, Qamishli, Syria) p. 64
(b. 1954, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 65
(b. 1983, Beirut, Lebanon, Palestinian) pp. 44-47
(b. 1977, Umm al-Fahm, Palestine) pp. 48-49
Adel Abidin
Serwan Baran
Hanaa Mallalah
Nadia Safieddine
(b. 1973, Baghdad, Iraq) pp. 40-41
(b. 1968, Baghdad, Iraq) p. 35
(b. 1958, Thee Qar, Iraq) p. 56
(b. 1973, Dakar, Senegal) p. 34
Ziad Abillama
Jean Boghossian
Ahmed Mater
Nada Sehnaoui
(b. 1969, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 71
(b. 1949, Aleppo, Syria, Armenian) p. 55
(b. 1979, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia) p. 66
(b. 1958, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 68-69
sadik kwaish alfraji
Zoulikha Bouabdellah
Randa Mirza
Amer Shomali
(b. 1960, Baghdad, Iraq) p. 63
(b. 1977, Moscow, Russia, Algerian/French) p. 39
(b. 1978, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 77
(b. 1981, Kuwait, Palestinian) p. 50
ziad antar
Ali Cherri
CLAUDE MOUFAREGE
Mahmoud ShubBar
(b. 1978, Saida, Lebanon) pp. 74-75
(b. 1976, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 67
(b. 1951, Dakar, Senegal) p. 70
(b. 1965, Babel, Iraq) pp. 54, 60-61
Nadim Asfar
Ziad Dalloul
Rabih Mroué
Hanibal Srouji
(b.1976, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 76
(b. 1953, Soueida, Syria) pp. 78-79
(b. 1967, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 73
(b. 1957, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 57
Kader Attia
Tagreed Darghouth
Nabil Nahas
Hady Sy
(b. 1970, Seine-Saint-Dugny, France) p. 62
(b. 1979, Saida, Lebanon) pp. 30-32
(b. 1949, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 18-20
(b. 1964, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 52-53
Ayman Baalbaki
Ali Omar Ermes
Mahmoud Obaidi
Katya Traboulsi
(b. 1975, Odeissé, Lebanon) pp. 22-25
(b. 1945, Tripoli, Libya) pp. 82-83
(b. 1966, Baghdad, Iraq) p. 38
(b. 1960, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 33
Mohamad Said Baalbaki
Mounir Fatmi
The atlas group (Walid Raad)
Sharif Waked
(b. 1974, Odeissé, Lebanon) pp. 5, 17, 28-29
(b. 1970, Tangier, Morocco) pp. 58-59
(b. 1967, Chbanieh, Lebanon) p. 72
(b. 1964, Nazareth, Palestine) pp. 42-43
Oussama Baalbaki
Mona Hatoum
Mohammad Rawas
Fadi Yazigi
(b. 1978, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 8, 36-37
(b. 1952, Beirut, Lebanon, Palestinian) pp. 15, 16, 51
(b.1951, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 87
(b. 1966, Latakiya, Syria) p. 7
Ginane Bacho
Marwan Kassab Bachi
Marwan Sahmarani
(b. 1947, Beirut, Lebanon) p. 21
(b. 1934 Damascus, Syria, d. 2016, Berlin) pp. 26-27
(b. 1970, Beirut, Lebanon) pp. 9, 80-81
84
85
Ourouba, The Eye of Lebanon, reflects the aesthetic, conceptual and socio-political concerns of the Arab world over the last decade. This exhibition, at the Beirut Art Fair 2017, includes works from private and institutional collections in Lebanon. It explores themes relating to memory, destruction, reconstruction, conflict and peace – issues affecting the Arab world in the light of 21st century upheavals.
Across diverse media and subject matters, the works reflect the pulse of the region and how artists and collectors with different tastes and visions are challenging the confines of their identity and reshaping the parameters of their cultural traditions. In chaos they discover that which endures.
Rose Issa Projects