Sursock Museum Program May – July 2016

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Sursock Museum Program May – July 2016 SURSOCK MUSEUM PROGRAM MAY – JULY 2016 The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum is a mod- ern and contemporary art museum in the center of Beirut first opened in 1961, with a mission to collect, preserve, and exhibit local and interna- tional art. Through our collection, archives, exhibitions, and public programs, we aim to produce knowl- edge on art practices in the region and explore work that reflects on our contemporary moment. Our goal is to support local art production, to provide a platform for encounter and experi- mentation with art and ideas, and to inform and challenge different audiences in new and unexpected ways. www.sursock.museum 1 EXHIBITIONS AND DISPLAYS 2 PUbliC PROGRAM TOURS 7 TALKS 8 FILM PROGRAM 13 FAMILY PROGRAM 16 SPECIAL EVENTS 17 UPCOMinG EXHIBITIONS 18 CALENDAR 19 Detail of Monira al-Qadiri Alien Technology, 2014 M Fiberglass sculpture ind the gap Courtesy of the artist 1 Exhibitions and displays Assadour: Landscape in Motion Guest curator: Joseph Tarrab 18 March – 30 May 2016 Special Exhibitions Hall, Level -2 Assadour: Landscape in Motion traces the ca- early fascination with technology, landscape reer of the artist Assadour, a key figure in the and the human body continued on later into history of art in Lebanon, from the 1960s to his career. the present day. In the 1980s, Assadour’s work began to focus The exhibition showcases over one hundred on the abstracted landscape, where geometric works on paper as well as paintings and artist shapes and colors create visions of changing books spanning the last fifty years. cities, seemingly torn apart and rearranged ac- Assadour’s first major solo exhibition in Lebanon cording to a master narrative. His works from brings together never-before-seen works, new the 1990s onwards return to the study of the paintings and etchings, and earlier works held human figure in space. in the Museum’s collection. Drawing on influences ranging from Japanese The work of Assadour is an exploration of the etchings to Buddhist iconography, and modern condition, one of alienation and un-root- African tribal masks to Renaissance paintings, edness. His detailed compositions depict bodies Assadour’s body of work questions our place in that are transformed, transfigured and morphed the world, the construction of identity, and the with architectural and cosmological objects. His role of fate, time, and history. Assadour Barbara’s Land, 1970 Etching on paper, 66 × 50.3 cm Sursock Museum collection Bequeathed by Pierre Cardahi, 1996 2 Let’s Talk About the Weather: Art and Ecology in a Time of Crisis Curated by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez and Nora Razian In collaboration with Ashkan Sepahvand 14 July – 17 October 2016 Special Exhibitions Hall, Level -2 Over the last one hundred years, humans have A special series of publications will be pro- drastically altered the natural environment duced in conjunction with this exhibition, through industrialization, intensive farming, with contributions from Marwa Arsanios, rapid urbanization, and the development of Omar Berrada, Ursula Biemann and Paulo fossil fuels. Tavares, Ewen Chardronnet, Adib Dada, Forensic In an era of planetary climate change, how will Architecture, Rania Ghosn, Hamza Hamouchene, these transformations alter the way we live our Razmig Keucheyan, Lara Khaldi, Jessika lives? How can we understand climate change Khazrik, Kapwani Kiwanga, Adrian Lahoud, from a historical and cultural perspective? How Bronwyn Lay, Erica Lee and Zoe Todd, Namik can we imagine an alternative, more equitable Mackic, Fadi Mansour, Sophia Al Maria, Angela future? Melitopoulos, Pedro Neves-Marques, Elizabeth Povinelli, Pelin Tan, Francoise Verges, and Let’s Talk About the Weather: Art and Ecology in Elisabeth von Samsonow. a Time of Crisis brings together over 15 local and international artists showcasing new works deal- From 14 to 24 July, join us for a full program of ing with climate change and ecological disaster. artist talks, screenings, workshops, and walks in conjunction with the exhibition Let’s Talk About Artists include Marwa Arsanios, Sammy Baloji, the Weather: Art and Ecology in a Time of Crisis. Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares, Joana Please check our website for more details. Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Jessika Khazrik, Adrian Lahoud, Nicholas Mangan, Sophia Al Maria, Pedro Neves-Marques, Marko Peljhan, Claire Pentecost, Monira al-Qadiri, Marwan Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares Rechmaoui, and Natascha Sadr Haghighian. Forest Law (film still), 2014 Two-channel video, 1:55 minutes, English Courtesy of the artists 3 Ali Cherri A Taxonomy of Fallacies: The Life of Dead Objects 13 May – 1 August 2016 Twin Galleries, GF What stories do objects tell? How do ancient The installation Fragments looks at the market artifacts relate to contemporary cultures and value of history, assembling together artifacts, value systems? both real and fake, from auction houses in Paris. Using material gathered from archaeological digs, Here, historiography is reflected through the wildlife parks, and auction houses around the lens of our desire for material possessions. world, this new body of work by Ali Cherri raises The film The Digger will be screened regularly important and timely questions regarding the throughout the run of the exhibition. Shot in value we place on historical artifacts, their com- the Sharjah desert in the UAE, The Digger fol- plicity in fuelling conflict, and our complicity in lows the everyday life of Sultan Zeib Khan, the their life and death. Pakistani caretaker who has been guarding the Filmed in a wildlife park in the UAE desert, the ruins of a Neolithic necropolis for twenty years. video installation Petrified takes us on a jour- The Digger screening times: ney tracing the life of archeological objects and 23 May – 3 June: their inscription into the discourse of value and Monday - Friday at 12:00 and 16:00 authenticity. 25 July – 29 July: Monday - Friday at 12:00 and 16:00 Ali Cherri Fragments (detail), 2016 Archaeological artifacts, taxidermy buzzard, light table, variable dimensions Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Imane Farès 4 In The Clouds A Selection of Aerial Views from The Fouad Debbas Collection 13 May – 1 August 2016 The Fouad Debbas Collection Gallery, Level 1 The concept of taking aerial photographs and During the First World War, use of aerial pho- using them for cartographic purposes first ap- tography became routine in the military. In the peared in 1855 with Andraud’s publication on Levantine countries – under French mandate – the Exposition Universelle of the same year. the 39th Aviation Regiment of the Army of the With his first attempts at aerial shots from a Levant, based in Rayak (Lebanon), would ensure hot air balloon in the 1860s, the French photog- air support with the aim of controlling certain rapher Nadar would revolutionize photography regions, drawing up maps and establishing a and the science of topography. road network. The first aviator-photographers had bold ambi- Several albums from the Fouad Debbas tions, given that they had to contend with many Collection gather together the flight journeys technical difficulties linked to photographic made by the different squadrons of the 39th procedures, not to mention other limiting fac- regiment in the 1920s and 1930s. The views are tors such as flight and weather conditions, and often the same: they were made with the aim camera shake. of mapping ports, towns and villages, bridges and other infrastructures, castles and fortresses located on inaccessible tells, archaeological sites, or even to track the movement of Bedouins in the Syrian desert. Unknown photographer, attributed to the 39th Aviation Regiment of the Army of the Levant Busr al Harir (Syria), Circa 1926-30 Silver gelatin print on paper, in album, 12 × 18 cm The Fouad Debbas Collection / Sursock Museum 5 Collection Display A Selection of Works from the Sursock Museum Collection Collection Galleries, Levels 1 and 2 Distributed along the Museum’s upper two From Daoud Corm’s painted portraits to Saloua floors, the collection display traces a history of Raouda Choucair’s geometric abstraction, the Lebanese modern art from the late 1800s to display’s scope and depth offers significant -in the early 2000s. Acquired by or gifted to the sights into Lebanese modern art. Sursock Museum following exhibitions, the Works on display include Khalil Saleeby’s works in the collection also chronicle the his- Portrait de Boutros Dagher (1907), Aref el tory of the Museum’s exhibition program since Rayess’s Colloque (1966), Shafic Abboud’s Les its opening in 1961 – including the annual Salon amours et les jeux (1979), and Etel Adnan’s Le d’Automne – as well as the evolution of artistic Mont Tamalpaïs (1985). practices in Lebanon. Théo Mansour Nuages (d’après Claude Debussy) [Clouds (after Claude Debussy)], 1997 Oil on canvas, 140 × 180.3 cm Sursock Museum collection 6 TOURS Collection Tour Saturday 14 May, 16:00 to 17:00 Led by one of Sursock Museum docents, this Thursday 19 May, 19:00 to 20:00 tour guides you through the Museum’s perma- Thursday 16 June, 19:00 to 20:00 nent collection, shedding insights into its history, Saturday 18 June, 16:00 to 17:00 and highlighting key works on display. Meet at the Information Desk, GF May 14 and June 16 tours in Arabic May 19 and June 18 tours in English Free admission Spaces limited. First-come, first-served. © Claire Henry Let’s Talk About the Weather Curator’s Tour With Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez and Nora Razian Thursday 14 July, 19:00 to 20:00 Join curators Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez and Nora Saturday 16 July, 16:00 to 17:00 Razian for a tour of the exhibition Let’s Talk Meet at the Special Exhibitions Hall entrance, About the Weather: Art and Ecology in a Time Level -2 of Crisis to gain insight into some of the ideas and themes that are explored through the works In English on display.
Recommended publications
  • For Immediate Release Contact Allegra Favila [email protected] 212/998-6789
    For Immediate Release Contact Allegra Favila [email protected] 212/998-6789 EXHIBITION RETHINKS MID-CENTURY ABSTRACT ART IN MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s On view at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery January 14–April 4, 2020 Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s explores the development of abstraction in the Arab world via paintings, sculpture, and works on paper dating from the 1950s through the 1980s. By looking critically at the history and historiography of mid-20th century abstraction, the exhibition considers art from North Africa and West Asia as integral to the discourse on global modernism. At its heart, the project raises a fundamental art historical question: How do we study abstraction across different contexts and what models of analysis do we use? Examining how and why artists investigated the expressive capacities of line, color, and texture, Taking Shape highlights a number of abstract movements that developed in the Middle East, Mohamed Melehi (Morocco) North Africa, and West Asia, as well as the Arab diaspora. Across Composition, 1970. Acrylic these regions, individual artists and artist collectives grappled with on wood, 47 1/4 x 39 3/8 in. issues of authenticity, national and regional identity, and the Collection of the Barjeel Art decolonization of culture. Drawn from the collection of the Barjeel Foundation, Sharjah, UAE Art Foundation based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, the exhibition features nearly 90 works by a diverse group of artists such as Etel Adnan, Shakir Hassan Al Said, Kamal Boullata, Huguette Caland, Ahmed Cherkaoui, Saloua Raouda Choucair, Rachid Koraïchi, Mohamed Melehi, and Hassan Sharif, among others.
    [Show full text]
  • SCHEMA 2019 to 2020.Pdf
    schema / 2019–2020 the year in review THE YEAR IN REVIEW 2019–2020 schema 2019–2020 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 4 SCMA100 \ the making of a museum From the Director Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion at SCMA Faculty Perspective: Matt Donovan 18 connecting people to art ON VIEW July 2019–June 2020 The smith college Younès Rahmoun: Scholarly Convening and Performance Defiant Vision: Prints & Poetry by Munio Makuuchi museum of art A Dust Bowl of Dog Soup: Picturing the Great Depression Buddhas | Buddhisms: Across and Beyond Asia cultivates inquiry Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem Museum Studies Course and reflection Program Highlights by connecting people to art, The Ancient World Gallery: A Reinstallation 36 connecting people to ideas ideas and each other A Place for Connection Academic Engagement: Teaching and Learning with the Collection Museums Concentration Museums Today Student Engagement: Remote Internship Program Student Perspective: Molly McGehee ‘21 Tryon Prizes for Writing and Art 2020 Student Perspective: Hannah Gates ‘22 Dancing the Museum Amanda Williams: 17th Annual Miller Lecturer in Art and Art History 50 connecting people to each other Member Engagement Membership Program Highlights Student Perspective: Emma Guyette ‘20 SCMA100 Gala Supporters Advisory Groups Gifts to the Museum Honoring Joan Lebold Cohen ‘54 66 art acquisition highlights 72 gifts and purchases of art 84 parting words and more Parting Words SCMA by the Numbers Museum Staff/Student Assistants the making of a museum from the director THE MAKING OF A MUSEUM is as layered as the works inside its walls. It raises questions about who we are and who we want to be; what we do and why we do it; who our audiences are and how best to serve them.
    [Show full text]
  • Sursock Museum a Renaissance for the Sursock Museum, a Jewel of Neo-Moorish Architecture
    15_10_08 Sursock Museum A renaissance for the Sursock Museum, a jewel of neo-Moorish architecture. Lebanon_Beirut Contemporary museums often lean towards exuberance; with a formal architecture in competition with the masterworks exposed inside. Designed by French design practice Wilmotte & Associés and Libanese architect Jacques Aboukhaled, the refurbishment and the extension of the Sursock Museum, on the contrary, have been conceived to be as discreet as possible. Context In the elegant and upscale district of Achrafieh in Beirut, only as recent as a few years ago, there were still many 18th and 19th century villas and mansions. Built in 1912, the neo-Moorish Sursock Museum is one of the last remaining examples, as towers and skyscrapers have begun to dominate the landscape. In this changing environment, it felt necessary to l 20 meters deep excavation preserve a testimony of the past. Heritage and Contemporary Intervention The request for a new cultural facility and for enhancing the existing building led Wilmotte & Associés to develop a discreet architectural design. The art of retraction prevailed, in order to highlight a remarkable architectural heritage. From the very first drawings in the early 2000s, a need for discretion seemed obvious, so that no trace of the future interventions would later be seen in the gardens. This led logically towards the development of an underground architecture. A long time project When war broke out between Lebanon and Israel, the museum l façade of the museum - day time project, as achieved as it was, had to be put on hold. It came back to life ten years later, under more peaceful auspices.
    [Show full text]
  • Samir Müller Painter of Clay
    Samir Müller Painter of Clay 1 June – 24 September 2018 The Sursock Museum presents Samir Müller: Painter of Clay as part of a cycle of homages to artists featured in the collections of the Sursock Museum. This series of exhibitions is supported by Banque Libano-Française. Since its founding in 1930, Banque Libano-Française has always demon- strated its support for the arts, culture, and the preservation of cultural heritage in Lebanon and beyond. Banque Libano-Française is proud to support this series of exhibitions at the Sursock Museum, paying tribute to important artists in the history of Lebanese art. Samir Müller: Painter of Clay brings together ceramic panels, forms, and drawings by the artist. With the support of Banque Libano-Française Preferred wine partner Château Marsyas Lender of artworks May Müller Lighting Joe Nacouzi Exhibition graphics Mind the gap Author Yasmine Chemali Translation Sarah Morris Photographic reproduction of artworks Elie Abi Hanna Booklet design Mind the gap Printing Byblos printing Special thanks May Müller for the loan of ceramics to the Sursock Museum and for access to, and use of, archival material relating to Samir Müller; David Hury for his photographs and his eagerness to share information; Paul Abi Khattar Zgheib and Odile Khoury at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK). Cover Enameled samples on which Samir Müller worked to obtain the desired color. The colors’ formulas are written on the back (see back cover). Samir Müller (1959-2013) was a painter who used clay for canvas, engobe for pigment, and his fingers for brushes. His ceramic paintings include abstract landscapes, dancing figures on globular vases, and urban scenes in which human silhouettes haunt the streets of Beirut.
    [Show full text]
  • Modern Women: 13 Lebanese Female Artists in “LEBANON MODERN!” at the Beirut Art Fair 2016 | Art Radar 4/11/17, 9:42 AM
    Modern women: 13 Lebanese female artists in “LEBANON MODERN!” at the Beirut Art Fair 2016 | Art Radar 4/11/17, 9:42 AM Art Radar Contemporary art trends and news from Asia and beyond Modern women: 13 Lebanese female artists in “LEBANON MODERN!” at the Beirut Art Fair 2016 Posted on 09/09/2016 Follow Like Share 3 Tweet 37 6 Votes Exhibition highlights women artists from country’s culturally rich modernist period. The Beirut Art Fair 2016 honours influential Lebanese female artists from the country’s modernist art scene of the 20th century with an exhibition titled “LEBANON MODERN!” running from 15 to 18 September 2016. http://artradarjournal.com/2016/09/09/lebanon-modern-at-the-beirut-art-fair-2016/ Page 1 of 18 Modern women: 13 Lebanese female artists in “LEBANON MODERN!” at the Beirut Art Fair 2016 | Art Radar 4/11/17, 9:42 AM Beirut Art Fair 2016 logo. Image courtesy the Beirut Art Fair. Since 2010, the Beirut Art Fair has been introducing visual artists from the ME.NA.SA (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) region to curators, collectors and institutions. The fair continues to thrive and gain both local and international support, with the event welcoming some 21,000 visitors and exhibiting 1,500 works in 2015. At the helm of the fair’s seventh edition is founder Laure d’Hauteville, returning Artistic Director Pascal Odille and Marine Bougaran as Head of Exhibitor Relations and Director of the fair’s “Projects” space. A new space known as “REVEALING by SGBL” will promote the region’s hottest up-and-coming talent, while “LEBANON MODERN!” shines a spotlight on the country’s most significant female artists from the modernist period (1945-1975).
    [Show full text]
  • Baalbek, Archives of an Eternity
    Baalbek, Archives of an Eternity 28 June-22 September 2019 Curated by Vali Mahlouji Exhibition design Jacques Aboukhaled Information design and exhibition graphics Mind the gap Lighting Joe Nacouzi With the support of Association Philippe Jabre With the collaboration of the Baalbek International Festival With the contribution of Tinol With thanks to Château Marsyas; Commercial Insurance; and Pikasso Lenders of artworks Abboudi Abou Jaoude; Hussein Al Husseini; the American University of Beirut – University Libraries; the Arab Image Foundation; Hekmat Awada; Abdo Ayoub; the Baalbek International Festival; Bank Audi; Banque Audi (Suisse)‑Geneva; Banque du Liban Museum; Bibliothèque des Sciences Sociales – Université Saint‑Joseph; Bibliothèque Orientale – Université Saint‑Joseph; Berthe and Ronald Chagouri; Edward Chdid; Directorate General of Antiquities; Hani Farroukh; Hicham Ghandour; Al Hareth Loutfi Haidar; Nada and Al Hareth Haidar; Institut Français du Proche Orient (Ifpo), Beirut; Philippe Jabre; Diab Al Karssifi; the Ministry of Tourism; Nabil R. Nahas; Palmyra Hotel; Private collection, Lebanon; Rafic Charaf family collection; Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation; Akram Rayess; Saradar collection; Eddy Sfeir; Hoda and Naji Skaff; Hala and Marc Sursock Cochrane; Ghida and Bassam Yammine. For their advice and support, the Sursock Museum and the curator would like to thank Jeanine Abdelmassih; Anne‑Marie Afeiche; Hassan Akra; Diaa Eddin Al Aswad; Nidal Al Barri; Mohesn Al‑Karseify; Rami Al‑Lakiss; Sleiman Amhaz; Roxana‑Maria Aras;
    [Show full text]
  • Arab Spring: Modern Middle Eastern Art Finds a New Audience in The
    Arab Spring: Modern Middle Eastern Art Finds a New Audience in the West – ARTnews.com 12/15/20, 1225 PM Arab Spring: Modern Middle Eastern Art Finds a New Audience in the West Andrew Russeth Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Untitled (Sculpture 2), 2008. ©MONIR SHAHROUDY FARMANFARMAIAN/COURTESY THE ARTIST AND THE THIRD LINE, DUBAI One recent morning, art historian Nada Shabout was telling me about her search for a graduate program two decades ago. “When I contacted universities and said I wanted to work on modern Arab art, they would say, ‘What is that? There is no such thing!ʼ” Shabout said. Academics https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/modern-middle-eastern-art-finds-new-audience-in-the-west-3867/ Page 1 of 11 Arab Spring: Modern Middle Eastern Art Finds a New Audience in the West – ARTnews.com 12/15/20, 1225 PM pointed her to Middle Eastern studies or Islamic art departments. “Now, at least,” she said, “schools are not saying that.” Shabout earned a Ph.D. in the humanities from the University of Texas at Arlington and is currently an associate professor of art history at the University of North Texas. She is one of a small band of curators and art historians in the West who specialize in modern Middle Eastern art— avant-garde art made in the region beginning in the middLe of the Last century, frequently in dialogue with peers in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. Though contemporary art from the area (the Middle East, MENASA, MENAM—picking a term is tricky) has recently received quite a bit of international notice, thanks to an ascendant market and generous governmental funding, there is still scant knowledge in the West of earlier, modern work.
    [Show full text]
  • PRESS RELEASE Front Cover: Aref El Rayess Hommage Au Tapis Volant [Flying Carpet Tribute], 1965 Acrylic on Canvas
    PRESS RELEASE Front cover: Aref el Rayess Hommage au tapis volant [Flying Carpet Tribute], 1965 Acrylic on canvas. 152 x 102 cm Exhibited at the 5th Salon d’Automne, 1965 Sursock Museum Grand Prize Purchased by the Museum, 1965 Sursock Museum collection The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum is a modern aimed at equipping the Museum with the facil- and contemporary art museum in the center of ities that would transform it into a cutting-edge Beirut first opened in 1961, with a mission to col- 21st-century cultural institution. The project was lect, preserve, and exhibit local and international initiated in 2000 by the President of the Museum’s art. The mansion in which the Museum is housed Committee at the time, Ghassan Tueni, who, along was the former residence of Nicolas Sursock, a with the Committee, commissioned the architects Lebanese collector and philanthropist. Recognizing Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jacques Aboukhaled the need for institutional support of artists in to undertake the expansion project. The works Lebanon, Sursock left his mansion to the city of were completed in 2014 under the mandate of Beirut as an art museum upon his death in 1952. the current moutawalli, the President of Beirut’s Municipality Dr. Bilal Hamad, and Dr. Tarek Mitri, The Museum opened its doors in 1961 with the the Chair of the Museum’s General Committee. Salon d’Automne, an open call exhibition showcas- ing new art of the time. The Salon was held on an The Museum reopened on October 8, 2015 with a annual basis, showcasing the work of such artists new team and with plans to host seven exhibitions as Shafic Abboud, Etel Adnan, Michel Basbous, a year, as well as a dynamic public program for Saloua Raouda Choucair, Paul Guiragossian, Aref all ages.
    [Show full text]
  • Lebanon Capital : Beirut Currency : Lebanese Pound
    Country : Lebanon Capital : Beirut Currency : Lebanese pound (01 Lebanese pound equals 0.46 Indian Rupees) The tourism industry in Lebanon has been historically important to the local economy and remains to this day to be a major source of revenue for Lebanon. ... Casino du Liban, which historically constituted a major tourist destination, reopened in 1996. The largest ski resort in the country has been expanded and modernized. Tourist love to visit popular tourist spots and enjoy the local culture. Amongst other Things to do in Lebanon, you can surely explore some of the best things to do in Lebanon to make your trip a fulfilling one. On a trip to Lebanon, things to do can include exploring Lebanon attractions and visiting the places of interest. Football is one of the most popular sports in Lebanon. In association football, the main federation for Lebanon is the Federation Libanaise de Football. The top division of football in Lebanon is the Lebanese Premier League. In September 2018, Lebanon achieved their best-ever FIFA ranking (77th) Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. No recent population census has been done but 2007 estimates ranged from slightly more than 1 million to 2.2 million as part of Greater Beirut. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, Beirut is the country's largest and main seaport. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, inhabited more than 5000 years ago. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 15th century BC.
    [Show full text]
  • Sursock Museum Program September – November 2016
    SURSOCK MUSEUM PROGRAM SEPTEMBER – NOVEMBER 2016 October marks one year since the Sursock Museum’s reopening during which we welcomed 67,000 visitors, hosted 70 talks, 24 workshops, and nine exhibitions with local and interna- tional artists. Our program continues to grow and diversify, always with the aim to support local art produc- tion, to provide a platform for encounter with art and ideas, and to inform and challenge our audiences in new and unexpected ways. We want to hear from you. Please share your experiences of the Sursock Museum by writing or drawing on the back of this page. You can detach it and leave it at the reception. www.sursock.museum 1 The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum in the center of Beirut first opened in 1961, with a mission to collect, preserve, and exhibit local and international art. Through our collection, archives, exhibitions, and public programs, we aim to produce knowledge on art practices in the region and explore work that reflects on our contemporary moment. Our goal is to support local art production, to provide a platform for encounter and experimentation with art and ideas, and to inform and challenge different audiences in new and unexpected ways. EXHIBITIONS AND DISPLAYS 2 PUbliC PROGRAM TOURS 8 CONFERENCE 10 TALKS 11 WorkSHOPS 14 FILM PROGRAM 16 FAMILY PROGRAM 17 CALENDAR 19 Detail of Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige Unconformities, 2016 M Photographic prints, drawings, texts ind the gap Coproduced by the Sharjah Art Foundation and the Sursock Museum 3 32nd Salon d’Automne Exhibitions and displays 17 November 2016 – 13 February 2017 Let’s Talk About the Weather: Art and Ecology in a Time of Crisis Special Exhibitions Hall, Level -2 Curated by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez and Nora Razian The Sursock Museum is pleased to relaunch exhibition by an external jury, composed of high the Salon d’Automne, an open call visual art profile figures in the arts and cultural sphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Text Panel Taking Shape
    Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s Grey Art Gallery, New York University January 14–April 4, 2020 Main Text Panel and Individual Object Labels Main Text Panel Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World explores mid-20th-century abstract art from North Africa, West Asia, and the Arab diaspora—a vast geographic expanse that encompasses diverse cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious backgrounds. Comprising nearly 90 works by artists from countries including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the exhibition is drawn from the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation based in Sharjah, UAE. The paintings, sculpture, drawings, and prints on view here reflect the wide range of nonfigurative art practices that flourished in the Arab world over the course of four decades. Decolonization, the rise and fall of Arab nationalisms, socialism, rapid industrialization, wars and mass migrations, and the oil boom transformed the region during this period. With rising opposition to Western political and military involvement, many artists adopted critical viewpoints, striving to make art relevant to their own locales. New opportunities for international travel and the advent of circulating exhibitions sparked cultural and educational exchanges that exposed them to multiple modernisms—including various modes of abstraction—and led them to consider their roles within an international context. The featured artists—a varied group of Arab, Amazigh (Berber), Armenian, Circassian, Jewish, Persian, and Turkish descent—sought to localize and recontextualize existing 20th-century modernisms, some forming groups to address urgent issues. Moving away from figuration, they mined the expressive capacities of line, color, and texture.
    [Show full text]
  • Changing Body and Society a Speculative Examination of Portraiture in Choucair’S Non-Representational Corpus
    DOSSIER THÉMATIQUE : Portraits/autoportraits dans les pratiques artistiques du pourtour méditerranéen CHANGING BODY AND SOCIETY A SPECULATIVE EXAMINATION OF PORTRAITURE IN CHOUCAIR’S NON-REPRESENTATIONAL CORPUS Kirsten Scheid American University of Beirut Abstract | What ways do portraits relate people to aesthetic practices and social configurations when representational and individualizing assumptions that ensue from figurative art cannot be assumed? If social being is not given, an art act might be seen to affect primarily an artist’s relation to the possibility of subjectivity. The idea that the audience of an artwork includes the artist herself raises questions about her self-understanding and social being. Building on my ethnographic research, I conduct a speculative examination of portraiture in relation to the career of Saloua Raouda Choucair towards founding a local art history. To conduct my review, I borrow tools from contemporary art, anachronistically, to demonstrate that we may learn ways of studying from art itself. Tending to the mundane, minute, intermeshed matters of childhood education, daily life, and encounters with audiences, I speculate that Choucair’s abstract sculptures offer “portraits” of becoming, germinations for beings to come. Mots-clés | Saloua Raouda Choucair – Portraiture – Contemporary Art – Local Art History – Ethnographic approach. Regards, 22 | 2019 17 Kirsten Scheid Introduction1 So much is at stake in the portrait, and in the self-portrait a fortiori, that its absence can pose serious cultural and even political problems. The call for papers inaugurating this dossier quotes André Félibien, official historian and art chronicler to Louis XIV, describing portraiture as the manifestation of divine excellence at a time when French colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Americas multiplied and official contacts with the Ottomans resumed.2 In art, the perfect concretization of the sovereign subject’s capacity for generating self-knowledge might be the self-portrait.
    [Show full text]