We are pleased to announce our upcoming Open Studios featuring the works created by our current artists-in-residence Valentina Medda, Sara Ghahramani and Daniil Galkin during their time at the Beirut Art Residency. Sara's paintings presented at Open Studios are the documentation of a personal investigation of Beirut; a city layered with stories. Drawing from literature, found images, vintage Lebanese movie posters, she explores ways in which social and personal memory finds its way to the artist studio and is translated into visual language. Each way of mark making works as part of a language in reference to the real world as well as to the history of painting; building up and scraping off the paint is intended to create a composition of fragments where shapes and colors work as independent forms and as part of a larger whole. This transformation of reference to the abstract image is in fact an act of translation. Sara Ghahramani (b. 1984 Tehran, Iran) investigates the link between visual and literal language in her work. Challenging the boundaries of abstraction and representation, her work follows the path through which subjects are translated into visual signs. Her paintings work as a registration of this transformation. Ghahramani graduated from OCAD University in Drawing and Painting. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada. Following Galkin's ongoing research he presents a reconstruction of the "egg”, one of Beirut's iconic structures left disfigured after the civil war. Upon discovering the origins of the Beirut City Center and associating it aesthetically and figuratively with an amputated limb, the artist reconstructs the monument in a sculptural form. The accompanying 'limbs' toppling over one another demonstrate the fleeting collective memory of those affected by war. Daniil Galkin (b. 1985 in Dnipropetrovsk – lives and works in Dnipro, Ukraine) belongs to the young generation of Ukrainian artists shaping the understanding of the role and importance of contemporary art in Ukraine and abroad. In his art he investigates life of an individual within the system entailing all-round control and oppression. Galkin has participated in personal and group exhibitions held in Gangwon International Biennale 2018 (Gangneung, South Korea), Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art (Berlin), Saatchi Gallery (London), Moscow Museum of Modern Art (Moscow), Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum (Bratislava), CzechCentre (Prague), Bienalle Arsenale 2012 (Kiev) and on other locations. While at BAR, Valentina worked on her new project S’ùltimo Attitu (Sardinian for 'The Last Lamentation'), a video piece based on the ancient tradition of the professional mourning. Built as a collective ritual and performed by a group of local women, 'The Last Lamentation' is a performance re-enacting a collective mourning that addresses sorrow for bodies lost while migrating through The Mediterranean Sea. Now presented as a preliminary study, the project is meant to travel around the Mediterranean, where it will be performed live in different cities along the coasts. S’ultimu Atittu is supported by Roberto Cimetta fund: https://www.facebook.com/cimettafund/ and it’s in collaboration with Creative Space Beirut. Valentina Medda (b. 1975 in Sardinia, Italy -lives and works between NYC and Bologna) is an artist, organizer and educator who holds an MA in Philosophy from University of Bologna -IT, and a Certificate Degree in Photography from ICP- International Center of Photography, in NY. Her interdisciplinary practice, spanning from interventions to performance and photo-based projects, mainly focuses on the different ways the body relates to the space in order to build a sense of belonging and identity. About BAR: The Beirut Art Residency is a nonprofit, artist-run interdisciplinary space. Our artist-in-residence program aims to stimulate creativity through interaction with the local environment, artists and cultural institutions, and seeks to foster cross-cultural relations between participants and the local artistic community in Beirut.

A visual diary documenting Beatriz Morales, Elena Gileva, Babak Kazemi and Pargol Einaloo during their time at the Beirut Art Residency. Beatriz Morales At Open Studios, Beatriz presents a series of works influenced by how layers of time overlap visually on the facades of buildings and in the general cityscape of Beirut. Beatriz’s technique involves applying multiple coats of paint and other materials on media like wood and canvas, and then subject these layers to various degrees of decay and disruption. The resulting works read like a testimony of the passage of time, in which events are constantly covered up and replaced by new scenarios and layers of being. Beatriz Morales (b. Mexico City, Mexico – lives and works in Berlin, Germany) developed her skills auto-didactically from an early age. The artist left her native country in 2001 to pursue formal studies in painting, pottery, and fashion design. Morales combines an investigative, abstract-expressionist approach with figurative and illustrative components. Her painting Wonderland II was exhibited in both branches of the Museum of Contemporary Art Rufino Tamayo in Oaxaca and Mexico City as part of the Mexico Contemporary Art Biennial 2016/17. After recent exhibitions in Basel, Berlin, and Vienna, she will make her major art fair debut at Zona Maco 2018 in Mexico City. Elena Gileva While at BAR, Elena developed a series called ‘Archeology of a moment’. The works she presents symbolizes the ‘Remains of a subjective perception - Ruins of present labour’. Her work table is laid out with shards of the making, remains of the process that create the landscape of a personal museum. “I work through the references of the far and recent past, piled as layers of archeological strata scattered around contemporary landscape of identities and cultures. Drawing on the multiplicity of the references I intertwine them like coils of clay and create an impostor archeology of my own.” Elena Gileva’s (b. 1992 in Russia – lives and works in London, UK) work explores the decorative, historical, and ornamental through the medium of ceramics and sculpture. Gileva is trained in both ceramics and fine arts, with a MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art and BFA from the Parsons Paris School of Art and Design. She combines various references and processes, with hand-built ceramic objects taking center stage in her practice. Babak Kazemi and Pargol Einaloo The core of Babak and Pargol’s practice is deeply embedded with political themes from the region, shaping the concept and methodology of their work. As collectors of found material, they have gathered archives from the local markets to investigate a time when Lebanon was considered ‘the bride of the middle east’, ironically falling upon old wedding albums from the 1960s which inspired the work they are presenting during Open Studios. Babak Kazemi (b. 1983 in Ahvaz, Iran – lives and works in Tehran, Iran) is a self-taught photographer. Kazemi explores the history of the province of Khuzestan in which he grew up, focusing on the impact of oil production on the region. In 2012, he was awarded the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize (MOP CAP) at the Delfina Foundation in London. His work has been featured in collections at the Maraya Art Centre (UAE), The Museum of Contemporary Arts (Tehran), The Museum of War (Tehran), and in the private collection of the Sheikh of Sharjah in the UAE. Since 2010, Kazemi has been collaborating with Pargol Einaloo (b. 1987, Shiraz, Iran). Einaloo’s work focuses on photography and painting. She studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, and her work has previously been exhibited in Iran, India, and the UAE. About BAR: The Beirut Art Residency is a nonprofit, artist-run interdisciplinary space. Our artist-in-residence program aims to stimulate creativity through interaction with the local environment, artists and cultural institutions, and seeks to foster cross-cultural relations between participants and the local artistic community in Beirut.

A documentation of the inaugural round of Backstory: The Film Residency in partnership with the Goethe-Institut and Metropolis Cinema. Filmmakers-in-residence include Mahassine El Hachadi, Hannes Stimmann, Mohamad Rashad and Sarah Francis.

The Beirut Art Residency in collaboration with Joy Mardini Design Gallery is proud to ‘render’ the design residency, as part of Beirut Design Week 2017. Two international designers, Francesco Pace and Anne-Claire Hostequin, were selected to participate in the residency and inquire into the Beirut design scene. For the past two months the residents worked on conceiving a collection of products. The outcome of their creative journey will be showcased at the Beirut Art Residency on the 23rd of May during Beirut Design Week. This initiative aims to foster dialogue between resident designers and local designers that are represented by Joy Mardini Design Gallery. Based on their individual proposals and practice the residents were paired with Marc Baroud and Carla Baz. The designers were invited as mentors, providing further insights into local craftsmanship, key players in the design market and industry know-how. This collaborative structure strives to bring to light intercultural exchange and bridge seemingly different practices through a critical approach to design. Anne-Claire Hostequin Hostequin’s approach can be defined as meticulous yet playful, embedded with the spirit of rationality. During the residency she created the ‘Atypical’ series, which strives to re-imagine the functions of classic Lebanese objects and crafts using minimalist metal structures and traditional carpentry. The reading chair and lamps that where conceived from this approach play with the notions of identity and adaptation, while moving between nostalgia and the present inviting us to see our daily environment though a different lens. Born in 1992 in Amiens, France, Hostequin set out to pursue her career as a designer with a postgraduate degree in Product Design from ENSAAMA Olivier de Serres in Paris (2015). Her diploma project explored the relationship between man and nature with a set of objects that reinterpret specific trek activities through a design lens. She then joined Fabrica, Benetton's research center, where she had the unique opportunity to collaborated with a myriad of renowned brands and international institutions (Please Do Not Enter, LA, Ars Fabricandi, Veuve Clicquot). Francesco Pace The relationship between craft and the environments we inhabit has always been at the base of Pace’s practice as a designer. When faced with the many levels of a complex and ancient city like Beirut, Pace set out to create a collection of objects by collaborating with local craftsmen and the spirit of the city. Combining this with a visual investigation of the details of Beirut; it's buildings, open-spaces, ornaments and shapes, he used design as a tool for interpreting an unknown culture. Born in 1985 in Napoli, Pace is an Italian designer currently based in the Netherlands. In 2010 he moved out from Napoli to pursue his education in Milan, Berlin and Eindhoven. His work has been presented in several reputable exhibitions and museums such as the Triennale di Milano, Museum of modern art Donna Regina (M.A.D.RE) and Bröhan Museum in Berlin. Pace has recently completed his masters in Contextual Design at DAE. In 2016 he founded his own interdisciplinary studio called Tellurico that is based on the crossroads between Eindhoven and Naples. The inaugural edition of 'render' design residency was made possible through the generous support of Jammal Trust Bank SAL, Hermes Trading, Aimee and Charles Kettaneh Foundation and The Piece Makers. About BAR: Beirut Art Residency is a nonprofit, artist-run interdisciplinary space welcoming residents from all artistic backgrounds. Our artist-in-residence program is a prime stepping-stone for emerging artists embarking on their career and established artists exploring new disciplines. The residency seeks to foster cross-cultural relations between participants and the local community. www.beirutartresidency.com About JMDG: Based in Beirut, Joy Mardini Design Gallery produces and exhibits contemporary pieces of design that are exclusively conceptualized and created for the JM brand. Having been in the design scene since 2012, the gallery works on representing Lebanese, regional, and international designers, whose products are carefully pre-selected, curated, and presented in solo/group exhibitions, as well as showcased at international fairs. www.jmdesigngallery.com

A documentation of artists-in-residence: Isaac Blease, Dexter Davey, Sumiah Salloum, and Asiya Alsharabi and their stay at BAR. Comprised of photographs and a collection of micro videos, UK artist Isaac Blease surveys the contemporary use of CHARMLAND, an abandoned country club in Awkar. Since its closure in 2006 following the conflict with Israel, it has found itself inhabited by migrant workers, refugees, skateboarders and a garbage municipality, subsequently becoming a microcosm for many of Lebanon’s contemporary issues. Instead of focusing simply on these problems that have made ‘Charmland’ what it is today, Blease’s work shows an alternative and diverse space, with multiple uses and users, forming an undercurrent of coexistence in 2016. Australian-born Dexter Davey is an internationally based artist who enjoys working with the medium of the moving image. Conceptually, Davey has been experimenting with a technique using loops within loops thus creating an eternal recurrence. In his video Bearing West 4 Eva which he created last year in Canada, he attempts to fuse this loop concept and technique for the first time. The work aesthetically pays homage to the first boom of gaming consoles and a golden era of Hollywood cinema. The pre-internet age of the 80’s and early 90’s where the mysticism and magnetism of the USA and the American Dream was perhaps never stronger. Sumiah Salloum is an American photographer who received her BFA in 2015. Sumiah’s recent work takes a closer look at her ancestral heritage and faith; as a young adult, Sumiah’s father fled to America during the Lebanese Civil War. In a reverse passage, Sumiah has returned to her paternal homeland to trace back her father’s upbringing while building her own relationship with Lebanon. Sumiah’s youthful lifestyle is contrasted with the antiquity of this ancient land, with her photographs depicting themes of identity and detachment. Asiya Alsharabi is a Yemeni artist whose practice revolves around capturing the moment, documenting it, understanding the roots of her subject and transforming it into art. In Lebanon, Asiya felt inspired by her surroundings and determined to work on several projects. When she encountered women in the Bekaa valley that refused to be photographed, Asiya moved the lens of her camera to capture their feet instead. Also during her time at the residency, she organized a workshop with Syrian children in a refugee camp in Tripoli documenting their dreams and aspirations.

A brief momentum, confined in time and space An opportunity for concentrated immersion in this new context Wandering the streets, encountering people, witnessing diverse atmospheres Scraping the surface of an identity we’re unfamiliar with This transposition of our daily lives to undiscovered territory demands for thorough and systematic exploration Though it’s the distractions that shape our experiences That reconfirm our personal interpretation of reality The discovery as a catalyst for reassuring our own identity The city unfolds through sensory involvement A composition of different languages, rolling waves and the lingering melody of a widely admired iconic voice The melancholic testimonials of destruction embedded in the urban landscape Familiarizing up to the point were we’re faced with frontiers Physically tangible, barbed wire throughout the city Spatial demarcations, protecting the domestic sphere And psychological barriers of incomprehension In each of these cases, we see ourselves positioned as a passing guest to this environment, which will never unveil its secrets. Lara Ögel, Ibi Ibrahim and Evelyn Simons are trying to unravel the concealed realities ingrained within their temporary surroundings. The practice of Turkish artist Lara Ögel (b. 1987) is defined by her accidental encounters with decontextualized objects in the urban landscape. Documenting the choreography of these seemingly nonchalant testimonies of human presence resulted in the creation of a video installation. A site-specific installation mirrors the puzzling outlines that are drawn between public and private spaces, manifest in the outlook of the city through the subtle composition of patterned apartment curtains. The works on show by Yemeni artist Ibi Ibrahim (b. 1987) are interwoven by his engagement with the local audience, and his own evolving artistic practice. Guided by Fairuz’ melodies during his entire stay, he set out to explore the intimate relationship between the iconic singer and her listeners, culminating in a video installation that reflects her unifying strength which transcends political and religious frictions. A second installation brings together the tangible harshness cutting up the streets of Beirut, engaging in a vulnerable dialogue with the artists’ own emotional struggles. Evelyn Simons (b. 1989) extended her research-based practice, which predominantly involves collaborating with other artists, by creating a soundscape and a photographic series that reflect a socio-cultural dialogue with her immediate surroundings. A soundscape re-enacts the closed communities living side by side, making up segregated atmosphere that is Beirut. The series of photographs juxtapose the sense of destruction permeating the city, with the beauty advertisements imposing a continuous correction of outward appearances.

A documentation of the inaugural round of Backstory: The Film Residency in partnership with the Goethe-Institut and Metropolis Cinema. Filmmakers-in-residence include Aida ElKashef, Ismail Louaty, Pia Hellenthal and Panos Aprahamian.

A documentation of artists-in-residence Abdelkader Benchamma, Hilda Ekeroth and Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos during their time at BAR. Abdelkader Benchamma lives and works between Paris and Montpellier, and studied Fine art at l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Benchamma uses varied techniques and media to explore the constructed aspect of reality, inspired by cosmology, science fiction, existentialist theatre and literature. He has exhibited at Foundation Louis Vuitton, Fondation Boghossian and The Drawing Centre in New York. His works were included in 'Future of a Promise', a Pan Arab exhibition during the 54th Venice Biennale, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha and many more. Hilda Ekeroth is an artist, writer, and curator based in Denmark who studied Cultural Anthropology in Uppsala University, Sweden, and received her MFA at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2011. Her recent research is focused on two distinct areas: the cultural history and apparatus of perception—in particular stories of the present—and a reconciliation and expansion of her work in drawing and painting. Ekeroth is co-founder and curator of Antechamber-Project Space for Drawing and Other Research and has exhibited in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, US, UK, Spain and Morocco in solo- and cooperative projects. Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos is a multi-disciplinary conceptual artist who lives and works between Paris and New York. Her work investigates the definition and construction of identities, personal memories, culture and collective histories in the post-Internet age. Her work was exhibited in galleries, institutions and public spaces in North America, Europe and Latin America including Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Künstlerhaus Wien, AMA | Art Museum of the Americas, Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, and Kunsthal Aarhus. Kosmatopoulos also worked alongside socially charged entities such as the Organization of American States and the Museum Louis Braille to create large-scale installations that raise awareness on social issues.