Beirut/London based multidisciplinary visual artist Ramzi Mallat presents Suspended Disbelief, a captivating installation which interrogates the tension between belief and doubt, drawing attention to the ways in which ancient superstitions fluctuate and persist within modern contexts.
Beirut, March 2025, The private view for Suspended Disbelief will be held on Thursday 27th of March from 5-9PM.
Central to this exhibition is the motif of the evil eye—a primordial symbol used to ward off malevolent forces through a shielding gaze. Deeply embedded in the folklore and collective psyche of the Mediterranean region and beyond, this symbol is reimagined here as both a safeguarding and destabilizing force.
Mallat states: “While people fear what they do not understand, nothing can exist in someone’s mind if they do not believe in it. This exhibition is about challenging those beliefs, facing them and incessantly picking at them.”
Viewers firstly navigate through Mallat’s suspended bronze works which were inspired by ancient artifacts found in the ‘Eye Complex’ of Tell Brak in Syria. Meticulously crafted with a balance of raw tactility and refined detail, the artist’s Constellations of Protection (2023-ongoing) series evokes timeless anchors that bridge the past and present.
Mallat reflects: “These sculptures embody both strength and vulnerability, simultaneously serving as guardians and bearers of cultural memory.”
Moreover,one of Mallat’s Vista Visions (2024-ongoing) works on paper is reconfigured to produce a wallpaper of repeating patterns to recalibrate and confuse the viewer’s depth of field. This imagery woven throughout the installation incorporates references to the gaze as a metaphysical symbol of perception, surveillance, and spiritual defense to further amplify feelings of anxiety and transcendence.
“I chose Takeover Beirut to showcase this specific work because of its unique principle within the landscape of the country’s artistic scene. By embracing experimentation, it challenged me as an artist to respond within the constraints of the given space and the urgency imposed by the volatility of Lebanon’s socio-political situation.”
Mallat’s work resonates powerfully within Beirut’s dynamic cultural landscape—a city that embodies perseverance, tenacity, and adaptation amidst ongoing challenges. Through this installation, he gestures toward a reimagining of traditional narratives, offering new interpretations that honor heritage while embedding critical contemporary relevance. The artist urges viewers to consider how belief systems—whether cultural, personal, or societal—influence our understanding of reality.
Mallat concludes: “The installation becomes a site of both personal introspection and collective renewal, asking us to reflect on the invisible forces that shape our lives, whether through the protective gaze of the talisman or through the act of forging fictions that become themselves inherent truths.”
Suspended Disbelief by Ramzi Mallat – Exhibition detail:
The private view for Suspended Disbelief will be held on Thursday 27th of March from 5-9PM at Takeover Beirut, and will run from Thursday 27th March until Saturday 12th April 2025.
Address:
Takeover Beirut, facing Les Arcades
Abdul Wahab el-Inglizi Street
Beirut, Lebanon
The exhibition will be open to the public on:
Tuesday 1st April: 5-9PM
Thursday 3rd April: 5-9PM
Friday 11th April: 7PM till late
Saturday 12th April: 11AM-3PM
About Ramzi Mallat
Ramzi Mallat’s artistic practice epitomizes the complexities of cultural identity within our ever-globalized society. Drawing from a rich tapestry of theological and folkloric knowledge from the Levant region, his work challenges the conventional notion of tradition as a civilizational legacy, revealing a narrative constructed by a society’s cultural vanguard in the course of a struggle.
Ramzi Mallat is a Lebanese multidisciplinary artist based between London and Beirut. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Lancaster University and a Masters degree in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art. Mallat has been appointed a Trustee for the IMOS Foundation in the United Kingdom, was selected as a ‘30 Under 30’ Lister by Forbes Middle East (2022) and has been shortlisted by Bloomberg New Contemporaries (2024).
The artist has had solo exhibitions at the UNESCO Palace and the Cervantes Institute in Beirut, Lebanon, as well as P21 Gallery, Danuser and Ramírez Gallery and Marie Jose Gallery in London, United Kingdom. Mallat has participated in group exhibitions at Turf Projects, Standpoint Gallery, Candid Arts and Storey Gallery in the United Kingdom. The artist’s short film titled Sobhiye (2022) has also been internationally awarded by multiple film festivals including the Lebanese International Film Festival (LIFF).
@ramzimallatstudio
About Takeover
Takeover is an artist-led project space for dynamic and experimental programming with and for local artists and established by multi-disciplinary artist Ieva Saudargarité Douaihi in 2022. Their mission is to share the space with local and emerging artists; to nurture experimentation, collaborations and to encourage knowledge transmission through artist-given workshops. The space aims to activate the surrounding area and engage with the street and community through its programming. Each “takeover” activates the space differently, transforming it from an artist studio into a gallery, from an installation into a workshop, from a screening room to an informal venue.