“Resistance and Persistence” uniting past and present
Beirut, Lebanon- December, 2016 – Art in Motion, a non-profit organization committed to establishing dialogue through art, succeeded in bringing an extensive number of visitors to the “Resistance and Persistence” exhibition at the Rene Mouawad Garden (Sanayeh), which took place from 5 to 12 October.
“By bringing together 24 Lebanese and international artists, and making them engage in dialogue through their works in a public space, we were able to accomplish our goals,” explained Rania Halawi, Co-Founder of Art in Motion and Curator. “We can proudly say that more than 50,000 visitors turned up during 20 days, with 150 clippings in the press, 10 TV coverage and 5 radio interviews added to our record.”
Aiming to establish a cultural dialogue through art from local to international circuits, Art in Motion has chosen Resistance and Persistence as the theme of its inaugural exhibition where its underlying message is about the possibility of reconciliation between a painful past and a chaotic present.
“Public debates were organized throughout the duration of the event and several meetings with artists and experts in contemporary art highlighting local achievements and their impact on the regional and international art scene,” mentioned Rania Tabbara, Co-founder of Art in Motion and Curator. “This also included introductory workshops on Arabic calligraphy in contemporary art, architecture, and other related art topics”
“Through the “Art is for everyone” campaign, Art in Motion used local insights and stereotypes, speaking and appealing to all social and ethnical groups in the Lebanese scene, successfully triggering artistic curiosity in people. This drove interest and attendance to the exhibition, and gained local and even international recognition,” said Raya Farhat, Co-founder of Art in Motion and Creative Director.
The exhibiting artists included Mustapha Ali (Syria), Ziad Antar (Lebanon), Bkja Design (Lebanon), Karine Debouzie (France), Nancy Debs Haddad ( Lebanon), Yazan Halwani (Lebanon), Zein Hamady (Lebanon), Ghaleb Amin Hawila (Lebanon), Nabil Helou (Lebanon), Thomas Houseago (UK), Abdel Rahman Kantani (Palestine), Vika Kova (The Netherlands), Hana Malallah (Iraq), Randa Nehme (Lebanon), Marwan Rechmaoui (Lebanon), Lufti Romhein (Syria), Houmam al Sayed (Syria), Xander Spronken (The Netherlands), Xavier Veilhan (France), Atelier Yok Yok (France), Ada Yu (Kazakhstan), Cathy Weiders (Belgium) and Ghassan Zard Lebanon).
The location of the exhibit is central to its theme, given the long and evocative history of the Sanayeh Garden and its symbol of resistance.