The Association for the Promotion and Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (APEAL) announced on Wednesday that the first comprehensive exhibition of Lebanese contemporary art will be open to the public at the American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center in Washington DC from April 8 to May 16.
APEAL held a press conference in Tabaris in Beirut to brief the media on the exhibition, called “Convergence: New Art from Lebanon.”
The exhibition, sponsored by the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, includes close to 70 paintings, sculptures, mixed-media installations, photographs, digital animations, films and architectural projects. The 30 artists taking part in the show are mostly based in Beirut. Alongside the exhibition, Lebanese artist and Architect Nadim Karam will give a lecture on urban arts, and a film festival is scheduled to take place from May 13 to May 16 in collaboration with Fondation Liban Cinema.
During the press conference, Vice President and Deputy General Manager of Marius Saradar Holding Company Sandra Abu Nader voiced hope that the project will help promote Lebanon as a hub for the creative arts.
“We hope that this association will act as a support tool for Lebanese artists and students with promising talents,” she said.
APEAL Vice President Nada al-Khoury said that arts and culture in Lebanon have been somewhat neglected in the past few decades because of the political and social problems the country has faced. However, she added, this can no longer be a pretext for the neglect of Lebanon’s art scene. “This is our credo.”
The works of art on display were selected by co-curator Amal Traboulsi and Jack Rasmussen, the director and curator of the American University’s art museum.
At today’s press conference Traboulsi said that during the selection process she and Rasmussen focused on the artists’ works rather than their resumes and experience. She said she searched for work that reflected the artists’ experiences in Lebanon and that will influence the American viewers.
Lebanese artist Chaouki Chamoun, who is also former chair of the Fine Arts Department at the Lebanese University and the Lebanese American University as well as former president of the Lebanese Artists Association of Painters and Sculptors, delivered a speech at the press conference called “Thinking contemporary: a Point of View.” Four of his paintings will be on display at the exhibit.
Contemporary artist Anita Toutikian, who will have her latest video installation displayed in Washington for the first time, told NOW Lebanon that the topic she chose is “cookies culture”. The video’s aim is to show that culture has a sharp edge. “I always question the purpose and the use of art. I raise this question,” she said.
-NOW Lebanon