About me:

Ashraf Osman is a PhD candidate in History of Art as part of the LAWHA project, with an international position between Ca' Foscari University of Venice and Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB). His project investigates artistic coexistence and representation at the Sursock Museum in the second half of the twentieth century. He holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Curating from the Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland) and a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University (New York). His diverse background and practice encompasses olfactory art, socially-engaged art, and the architectural and urbanistic memory of the Lebanese War.

Project:

“The Only Truly Living Museum in Beirut”:  Artistic Coexistence and Representation at the Sursock Museum

In the heart of Beirut stands the Sursock Museum, a cultural beacon with a storied past intertwining art, history, and identity. My research embarks on a journey through decades of the museum’s existence, exploring its evolution as a nexus of artistic expression and representation amidst Lebanon’s tumultuous socio-political landscape. It examines the representation of women and minority (ethnic, sectarian, sexual, etc.) artists in the Sursock Museum in the second half of the twentieth century. It is guided by two main questions: What was the dominant identitarian narrative of the pre-War Lebanese state? And, viewed through the lens of canon-formation, was the Sursock Museum a significant institutional departure from that narrative? Answering these questions would reflect on the museum’s role in fostering coexistence and representation amidst Lebanon’s complex socio-cultural tapestry.