Sursock museum Program may – july 2016

The Nicolas Ibrahim is a mod- ern and contemporary art museum in the center of 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.

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Alien Technology, 2014

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Mind the gap 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 , 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

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