A landmark show featuring the work of 33 talented Lebanese artists will take place at Cromwell Place in London from 7th-11th June 2023.
LEBANON | UNTITLED, a collaboration between Janet Rady Fine Art and Artscoops, the leading online platform for Middle Eastern and North African art, will present over 50 artworks of note, including paintings, mixed media pieces and sculptures, in what marks the largest showcase of Lebanese art in London to date.
Forming part of Cromwell Place’s Middle East curated moments for June, LEBANON | UNTITLED also marks Artscoops’ debut exhibition outside Lebanon.
Renowned artists featured include Willy Aractingi, Zena Assi, Alfred Basbous, Helen Khal and Nadia Saikali.
Notable highlights include Aractingi’s painting The Crow and the Fox, from his well-known series illustrating the fables of Jean de La Fontaine, a small oil on canvas by Assadour Bezdikian and a meticulously detailed figurative piece in Chinese ink on canvas by the celebrated artist Laure Ghorayeb (1931 – 2023).
Sensual
A hand-built ceramic work by the multidisciplinary, prize-winning artist Zena Assi, titled Beirut I Love You, and an acrylic on wood by Huguette Caland, known for her sensual portrayal of the female form, are among the other pieces of note.
The exhibition will also present key works by Hussein Madi, known for combining abstract design with Islamic art-inspired motifs, and Juliana Séraphim, whose evocative, dreamlike imagery is derived from childhood memories.
Alongside the exhibition of artworks, LEBANON | UNTITLED will feature live talks by some of the participating artists. The Preview and VIP opening on Tuesday, 6th June will take place in the presence of Zad Moultaka, the pioneering prize-winning composer and multimedia artist.
On Wednesday, 7th June, from 6pm to 7pm, Lana Khayat will track her artist’s journey, sharing her early longing to find wonder and frugality in her art, in a talk titled Space and Legitimacy in Creating Art as a Woman Artist. In the second short talk, on Thursday, 8th June, from 6pm to 6.30pm, titled Words to Paint the Invisible, Joumana Medlej will discuss her use of visual power from a lost calligraphic tradition to give her compositions meaning and explain how she selects and prepares materials to achieve her aims.
Explaining the idea behind the name of the exhibition, Raya Mamarbachi, founder, Artscoops, said the team had felt it was important to find a title that reflected Lebanon’s perpetual state of transition.
“We knew it was essential to let the art speak for itself rather than risk setting a pre-determined narrative with audiences,” she explained. “Knowing that we’re being joined for this exciting next step on our journey in the UK by Janet Rady, who has supported Artscoops since our launch in 2015, makes this show extra special.”
Diaspora
May Mamarbachi, co-founder, Artscoops, said she was thrilled that Lebanese artists were being given an opportunity to showcase their talent on a major platform and strengthen their reach in the UK, which is home to a sizeable Lebanese diaspora and significant number of international collectors.
“Lebanon has a thriving contemporary art scene, built on a rich artistic heritage, which deserves the level of international recognition that our exhibition will offer,” Raya agreed. “I’m incredibly proud of this exciting group of Lebanese artists and, at the same time, ecstatic to be bringing a welcome ‘good news’ story from Lebanon to the UK.”
Janet Rady added that London’s status as an established centre for Middle Eastern art made it the ideal location choice for what marks the city’s first major exhibition of modern and contemporary Lebanese art.
“I am delighted to be co-organising what is undoubtedly a milestone show and teaming up for this timely collaboration with Artscoops, which is recognised as the foremost platform for showcasing and selling Middle Eastern art in Lebanon and internationally,” she added.
For more information on Artscoops and its year-round programme, visit artscoops.com and follow Artscoops on Instagram.
LEBANON | UNTITLED is open to the public at Gallery 12, 4 Cromwell Place as follows:
Tuesday 6 June 2023 – Preview and VIP opening, by invitation only, in the presence of the artist Zad Moultaka
Wednesday 7 June to Saturday 10 June 2023, 11am – 7pm
Sunday 11 June 2023, 11am – 4pm
LEBANON | UNTITLED Talk Programme
Lana Khayat: Wednesday, 7 June, 6pm-7pm: Space and Legitimacy in Creating Art as a Woman Artist
Joumana Medlej: Thursday, 8 June, 6pm-6.30pm: Words to Paint the Invisible
About Artscoops
Artscoops began in 2015 as the passion project of a mother-daughter team, May and Raya Mamarbachi who, by combining their respective skills in art curation and business, were driven to further the growth of the art market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and make art from the region more accessible to collectors worldwide.
During the dawn of the digital art market, Artscoops was the first online auction house dedicated specifically to MENA art. Since then, it has grown to become a leading online platform for buying and selling art from the region. Artscoops works with a network of leading galleries and collectors to source and offer a wide range of the best traditional and contemporary artworks. Its team of experts also provide a variety of services to help collectors buy and sell art, which include art advisory, art financing and art shipping services.
www.artscoops.com
www.janetradyfineart.com
www.cromwellplace.com
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