TRANSFORMING REALITY

Etel Adnan, Un Jardin / A Garden, 2019. Folded leporello book and watercolor on paper. Cover: 29 x 9.5 cm x 4 cm, 60 pages: 28.7 x 9.2 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/Hamburg

Etel Adnan’s The Uprising of Colours Tantalises at Sfeir- Semler Gallery in Beirut

With a splash of colourful panache, Lebanese-American poet, essayist and visual artist Etel Adnan spreads a palette of joy to counter the grim reality of life in the Lebanese capital.

The exhibition of Adnan’s work in Beirut at the Sfeir-Semler Gallery is a desire to see art go beyond the mundane by celebrating culture as something resilient to global calamity, be it the new coronavirus or economic uncertainty. The title of the exhibition, The Uprising of Colours, references what the gallery calls “art’s capacity to bring colours into a grim quotidian,” which serves to complement Adnan’s writing chronicling the harsh realities of life across the Arab World.

The 95-year old Adnan’s latest show comes on the heels of several major exhibitions of her work, including at DOCUMENTA 13 (2012) in Kassel, the Serpentine in London (2016) and SFMOMA in San Francisco (2018).

The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.
The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.

Le Soleil Toujours

Welcoming visitors is wallpaper situated at the entrance of the gallery inscribed with the words Le Soleil Toujours (“The Sun Always”), a work with potent symbolism referencing the exhibition’s optimistic undertones.

The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.
The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.

The Arab Apocalypse

In the background, as an excerpt of Adnan’s The Arab Apocalypse is read aloud, the optimistic undertones of the exhibition begin to suddenly fade. Originally written in French, Adnan’s poetry documents the destruction of Beirut.

Imam Ali dances over a nuclear blast cursed are the clouds which repel cursed are the Arabs who fell tall and haggard eucalyptus trees

The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.
The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.

The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.
The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.

Adnan’s writing serves to underlie the diversity of cultural influences in the Middle East and how it could produce magnificent poetry, albeit, a beauty produced amidst the rubble of destruction and warfare.

Using a knife palette, the stunning contrast between the rainbow colour palette and the resounding gritty realism of Adnan’s writing becomes suddenly apparent. Suspended in between moments of doom, the paintings boast whimsical, happiness-inducing hues of blue, red and yellow.

Small format works unfold via abstract colours and shapes. Juxtaposed to Adnan’s poetry, these forms transform the space by virtue of simple lines and colours. When they’re contrasted to the energy of Adan’s poetry, the space of the gallery is transformed, as it unfolds towards a more dystopian direction. Bearing witness to war via the language of visual art, the exhibition also includes tapestries that are based on cartoons from the 1960s, a medium that became an important part of Adnan’s work after
she discovered, in the early ‘50s, The Lady and the Unicorn, a series of six tapestries dating back to the 16th century.

Etel Adnan, Un Jardin / A Garden, 2019. Folded leporello book and watercolor on paper. Cover: 29 x 9.5 cm x 4 cm, 60 pages: 28.7 x 9.2 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/Hamburg
Etel Adnan, Un Jardin / A Garden, 2019. Folded leporello book and watercolor on paper. Cover: 29 x 9.5 cm x 4 cm, 60 pages: 28.7 x 9.2 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/Hamburg

The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.
The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.

The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.
The uprising of colors, 2020. Exhibition view. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/ Hamburg.

The Uprising of Colours is on view until April 11, 2020 at Sfeir- Semler Gallery in Beirut.


A VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN PRINT IN SELECTIONS, ART GLOSSARY #52 PAGES 34 -37.

Dorian Batycka

Dorian Batycka is a Canadian curator, art critic and DJ based in Muscat, Oman. He is currently curator at Bait Muzna for Art Film. Previously, he was assistant curator for the first ever Maldives National Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale and has contributed to numerous publications, including Art and Education, Frieze Blog, and Nero. He can be found on Twitter.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

selections-arts-logo

SELECTIONS is a platform for the arts, focusing on the Arab World.

Selections editorial presents a quarterly print magazine and weekly online publication with high quality content on all subjects related to Art and Culture. Full of world-leading artworks, exquisite brand imagery, original creative illustrations and insightful written articles.
Selections Viewing Rooms presents carefully curated online art shows aiming not only to shed light on contemporary art executed by living artists, but also for viewers to buy contemporary fine art, prints & multiples, photography, street art and collectibles.
Discover the previous and current shows here.
Cultural Narratives foundation is an extensive collection that is travelling the world by leading established and emerging talents aiming to reflect the culture of the region in their works.

RANDOM READS

‘The Red Sea’ by Abdallah Kassem at Galerie Tanit Beirut

Lebanese contemporary visual artist Abdallah Kassem unveils his solo exhibition, “The Red Sea,” opening on November 29, 2023, and running until December 29, 2023. Born in Ivory Coast in 1985, Kassem, known not only for his artistic prowess but also…

‘On This Land’ a collaboration between Palestinian Museum, Barjeel Art Foundation and Alserkal Arts Foundation at Concrete

The “On This Land” exhibition emerged from the original plans of the Palestinian Museum, based in Birzeit, which aimed to explore the cultural legacy of Gaza in an upcoming exhibition. However, given the current situation and the uncertain future of…

“Hybrids of Creativity” Tashkeel, in Collaboration with Dubai Future Foundation at the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI 2023

Tashkeel, an incubator for art and design in the UAE, has partnered with the Dubai Future Foundation to present “Hybrids of Creativity,” an exhibition comprising 54 artworks primarily created by UAE national artists utilising generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. This…

‘QR Codes Revisited New York’ by Ghada Amer at Marianne Boesky Gallery New York

Marianne Boesky Gallery introduces a new series of artworks by Ghada Amer, titled “QR CODES REVISITED—NEW YORK.” Born in 1963 in Cairo, Egypt, Amer brings a fresh perspective to a long-standing textile appliqué tradition historically associated with male tentmakers in…

Being Dia al-Azzawi:  A Lebanese Perspective

Today, Dia al-Azzawi is a renowned figure, celebrated not only for his artistic accomplishments but also for his political engagement and tireless dedication to giving a voice to those who still await justice. A deep love for his Iraqi homeland…

Being Dia al-Azzawi: Azzawi and Muzaffar al-Nawab

In 1968, a year before the Towards the New Vision manifesto, Azzawi met the Iraqi poet Muzaffar al-Nawab after he had escaped from prison. A few months later, Nawab invited Azzawi to illustrate and design the cover for his famous…

december 2023

27may(may 27)09:0014jan(jan 14)09:00THE CASABLANCA ART SCHOOL

06jul(jul 6)18:0008dec(dec 8)21:00Untitled Abstractions

24aug(aug 24)09:0007jan(jan 7)09:00Arabesque