WHAT’S ON IN BEIRUT

Cheminement #13, 2018, mixed media on paper, 41.5 x 41.5 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Tanit

Beirut’s artistic agenda is full of exciting events this winter, beginning with Anachar Basbous’ Untitled solo exhibit at the Saleh Barakat Gallery in Beirut’s Clemenceau neighbourhood. Anyone familiar with Lebanese art knows the name Basbous, a name synonymous with surrealist, undulating sculptures and sculptural architecture. The artist’s father, renowned sculptor Michel Basbous, engineered and oversaw the transformation of his hometown of Rachana, in the mountains of Northern Lebanon, from a sleepy village into a surrealist outdoor museum, with dozens of large-scale sculptures and houses designed by world-famous sculptors and artists.

Anachar Basbous upheld his family’s artistic legacy with prestigious commissions of his own, including the in situ monument in Downtown Beirut to commemorate former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri’s assassination, as well as work presented at the Beiteddine Palace.

Anashar Basbous, Basalt,2018, 60 x 75 x 46 cm. Courtesy of Saleh Barakat Gallery
Anashar Basbous, Basalt,2018, 60 x 75 x 46 cm. Courtesy of Saleh Barakat Gallery

His latest exhibit, running until December 29, 2018, is unexpected in its scale and shapes: only a few pieces in the collection reach a meter in height. Contrary to the archetypal Basbous style, all flowing, feminine undulation, these pieces give off a masculine, martial energy. The pieces comprise stone, steel and concrete geometrical shapes, broken and sliced, then rearranged in sometimes jarring patterns that evoke the chaos and ennui that so inspired artists of the mid 20th century.

Anashar Basbous, Marble, 2018, 49 x 48 x 32 cm. Courtesy of Saleh Barakat Gallery
Anashar Basbous, Marble, 2018, 49 x 48 x 32 cm. Courtesy of Saleh Barakat Gallery

However, perhaps anticipating this critical reaction, a press release insists that “this shift does not constitute a rupture with his older work.” Regardless, this collection represents a bold new direction for Anachar the individual, and Basbous the legacy.

Anashar Basbous, Concrete, 2018, 52 x 55 x 52 cm. Courtesy of Saleh Barakat Gallery
Anashar Basbous, Concrete, 2018, 52 x 55 x 52 cm. Courtesy of Saleh Barakat Gallery

Over in Mar Mikhael, at the Galerie Tanit, Chafa Ghaddar is showing new works in an exhibition titled The Visit, which runs until January 12, 2019. From across the gallery, many of her works look like light-complexioned flesh. Take a step forward, mottling becomes visible, indicating a patch of hair or a varicose vein. Take another step and a deeper, heavily pigmented line appears: a folded limb or a hunched torso. Or a fresh wound.

But come closer to the paintings, right up to them, and it’s clear that they’re not actually representative of flesh, or any recognizable body part. Ghaddar’s mastery of the ancient technique of fresco, first used in ancient Egypt and Syria in the 18th century BCE, means that her paintings seem to glow from within, just like a living, breathing human animal.

Series: Cheminement, Installation view, courtesy of Galerie Tanit
Series: Cheminement, Installation view, courtesy of Galerie Tanit

It’s a disconcerting feeling, to see something so evocative of the human body exist within a frame. But Ghaddar is comfortable with this discomfort. Indeed her practice “pulses with desire to fix what flees… The liminal is [her] heartland.”

Corps, 2018, fresco mounted on wood, 200 x 170.5 cm, unique. Courtesy of Galerie Tanit
Corps, 2018, fresco mounted on wood, 200 x 170.5 cm, unique. Courtesy of Galerie Tanit

In some pieces in The Visit, the skin itself becomes the boundary she pushes: what look like pinpricks surrounded by deep red are reminiscent of fresh, sloppy tattooing. A large, blood-red mural invites the viewer to imagine what’s beyond the barrier of the skin.

Cheminement #13, 2018, mixed media on paper, 41.5 x 41.5 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Tanit
Cheminement #13, 2018, mixed media on paper, 41.5 x 41.5 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Tanit

The not-skin frescoes are the most intriguing example of Ghaddar’s fixation on liminality. Another example, delightfully nonsensical if a little on-the-nose, is a swathe of blue paint seemingly pouring from the blue sky of a gallery window, onto the floor and the wall beyond, as a shadow would. Standing on the piece is disorienting yet compelling, aptly representing the exhibition as a whole.


A version of this article appeared in print in Selections, Sanctuaries #47

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

‘Arabesque’ by Rayyane Tabet at Sfeir Semler Gallery

Sfeir Semler Gallery opens a second venue in Beirut. Alongside their flagship gallery in Karantina, this new Downtown space enables them to expand their presence in the city centre, offering a platform for Beirut’s artistic and cultural community. Their launch…

On Show in Dubai this Month

This fall, Dubai welcomes a diverse array of exhibitions, showcasing talent from around the world. In this article, we will be exploring some of the many shows on display. From the digital landscapes of Josh Rowell’s “Moral Codes” at Firetti…

‘I See Me in You’ by Yasmina Hilal at Zalfa Halabi Art Gallery

Zalfa Halabi Art Gallery presents Yasmina Hilal’s latest exhibition, “I See Me in You,” making its debut in Lebanon. This body of work was previously showcased at the MENART FAIR in Brussels earlier this year, and now viewers in Lebanon…

‘Unveiling the Elemental’ by Jean Boghossian at Mark Hachem Gallery Paris

Mark Hachem Gallery Paris is exhibiting a new solo show by Jean Boghossian titled, ‘Unveiling the Elemental.’ The exhibition highlights the artist’s mastery of fire, texture, and form through three distinct series: ‘Rhythms,’ ‘Broken Burnt Lines,’ and the seminal ‘Wave.’…

‘Summer 2023’ at Art on 56th

“SUMMER 2023” assembles an eclectic array of artists from Art on 56th for a summer exhibition spotlighting both emerging and established talents from the Middle East. The roster features artists such as Elias Ayoub, Saoud Abdallah, Safaa Al Set, Haibat…

‘Cotton Under My Feet: The Hamburg Chapter’ by Walid Raad at The Hamburger Kunsthalle

In collaboration with the International Summer Festival 2023 held at Kampnagel in Hamburg, the Hamburger Kunsthalle is presenting a unique project by Lebanese-American artist Walid Raad. The Hamburg Chapter represents an adaptation of Raad’s earlier exhibition, Cotton Under My Feet,…

september 2023

02apr(apr 2)09:0015sep(sep 15)09:00SELECTED WORKS - NABIL ANANI

03may(may 3)09:0026nov(nov 26)20:00LOBI LOBI - BOBO LAND - Comic Craze Vol. 3

04may01sepSEHAM