Tripoli and Beirut
September, 13 to September 14, 2023
Organiser: LAWHA/Orient-Institut Beirut
First exhibition of the “Group of Ten”, 1974, Cultural Association Tripoli: Invitation card (left) and Fadl Ziadé showing his paintings (right). Courtesy Fadl Ziadé.
This workshop aims at examining the role of cultural clubs and centres in promoting visual arts in Lebanon. Among the first cultural clubs in Lebanon was the Cultural Ligue in Tripoli (est. in 1943), followed by the Arab Cultural Club in Beirut (est. in 1944). The Cultural Movement Antelias (est. in 1978) is another example of clubs across Lebanon. Among the foreign cultural centres which were active in the promotion of visual arts are the Goethe-Institut, the John F. Kennedy Center, the French Cultural Club, the British Council, as well as the Italian, Spanish, Iraqi and Russian/Soviet Cultural Centres, and the Hamazkaïne Center/École Palandjian, most of which have a long history in Lebanon and their share in shaping the cultural scene mainly since the 1960s.
The workshop aims to reconstruct some of the exhibition history of these organisations and to reevaluate their role in the promotion of visual arts. Were art exhibitions a priority of certain clubs or centres rather than others? Did they focus on certain art forms, styles or media? Who were the artists exhibiting there?
The workshop is also interested in the conceptual frameworks associated with these cultural centres and clubs. Can they be categorised as alternative spaces and why?
Who are their audiences? What role do these spaces play within the local art and cultural scene and what is their relation to the centre Beirut?
While the first workshop day focuses on cultural and artistic initiatives in and from Tripoli and Antelias, the second day will have a closer look at the role of foreign cultural centres and the Goethe-Institut in particular. Artists, practitioners, and scholars will share their experiences and analyses with a special highlight on the Groupe des dix, an artist group from Tripoli that was founded in 1974.
Check out the detailed programme here: Link to the programme
On 13 September, a bus transfer from Beirut to Tripoli and back is organized. Departing at 9am from the Orient-Institut Beirut in Zoqaq al-Blat and arriving back to Beirut around 6pm.
On 14 September, a bus transfer from Tripoli to Beirut and back is organized if there is sufficient interest. Departing at 2pm at the Lebanese University in Tripoli (Branch 3) and arriving back around 9pm. This transfer will be confirmed on 11 September.
Please reserve a seat before 10 September by sending an email to: lawha@orient-institut.org, specifying the date you are reserving for.
About LAWHA: “Lebanon’s Art World at Home and Abroad: Trajectories of artists and artworks in/from Lebanon since 1943” (LAWHA) is a research and database project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 850760). LAWHA is about the forces that have shaped the emergence of a professional field of art in Lebanon within its local, regional and global context. LAWHA is hosted by the Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB) of the Max Weber Foundation. Cà Foscari University of Venice is an additional beneficiary of LAWHA. Find out more: https://lawha.hypotheses.org
Zoom Webinar's link (14th of September):