With countless exhibitions taking place across town, Beirut’s burgeoning art scene is waiting to be explored. We take a closer look at some of the most inspiring.
Thief of Baghdad
When: Until 25 May
“Thief of Baghdad,” the latest exhibition at Dar El Nimer, presents around 100 vintage movie posters from Abboudi Abou Jaoude’s collection. Interestingly, all the films have been inspired by the Arab region, created or shown in Western cinema.
For 15 years, Jaoude has been amassing these posters – including films inspired by the tales of “1001 Nights,” “Sinbad” and “Aladdin.” Many of the visuals show a sexualized, orientalist view of the Middle East, with camels, scantily-clad dancers and genie lamps.
Dar El Nimer, Clemenceau
383-Armenia Street
When: Until 9 March
A decade in the making, Vincent Bassil’s exhibition mixes art and architecture. The 30-piece show attempts to visualize the changes Bassil has witnessed in the capital since moving to Beirut in 2008. He highlights Mar Mikhael extensively.
The acrylic paintings show bold blocks of color, designed in what could be an aerial view of the city or an abstract map, with writing in the background. Installations are also on display showing 3D city models in the same style as the paintings, put together with up-cycled wooden planks, painted pieces of brick and metal found in the area.
ARTLAB, Gemmayze
Michel Adaimy
When: 2-7 March
Michel Adaimy will be presenting a solo exhibition curated by Zoha Nassif. The show includes more than 45 mixed media pieces with a surprise appearance by the counter-tenor Matteo Khodr on the opening night.
The brightly-colored paintings and illustrations are a result of the artist’s aim to promote open-minded, abstract thinking and to convey emotion through visual art, rather than words.
Beit Beirut, Sodeco
For more ideas, check out our article about things to do during this weekend.
Text: Maghie Ghali
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