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The multidisciplinary space, “While We’re Young (WWY),” embodies the feminine commitment. This upcoming exhibition, to be unveiled on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 6 PM, showcases seven emerging female artists, each with distinct practices, producing works influenced by the legacy of their esteemed ancestors. From representation to the dissolution of form, color occasionally asserts itself in its inherent quality.
This curatorship, possessing a museum-like dimension, encompasses a myriad of mediums and is co-curated by Randa Sadaka and Simon Mhanna. For the first time, institutional collections step outside the museum confines. The dialogue notably involves an oil painting by Yvette Achkar from the Ministry of Culture-BEMA collection. Private collectors have also made notable contributions. Noteworthy inclusions are a colored pencil and watercolor work on paper by Etel Adnan from Abraham Karabajakian’s collection, an oil painting by Bibi Zoghbé loaned by Naila Kettaneh-Kunigk, and an oil on wood by Helen Khal belonging to Kim and Makram Debbas. Responding to the modernist heritage, the contemporary assemblage includes (in alphabetical order) Sara Abou Mrad, Tamara Haddad, Mayssa Khoury, Shereen Kouwatly, Annie Kurkdjian, Vicky Mokbel and Fatima Mortada. Yesterday’s creativity feeds tomorrow’s innovations.
Bold, luminous, and heavily textured brushstrokes disrupt the painting’s surface, evoking a persistent sense of fervor. The peculiarly haphazard shapes, clumsily layered upon one another, hint at a wondrous reality. These artists are redefining creative paradigms and chronicling the ongoing social transformations in Lebanon, emphasizing feminist discourse and the representation of female bodies. The goal is to probe the position of women within the artistic realm and the status of their bodies, subjected to political and social pressures. These artworks challenge the traditionally ascribed passive and docile demeanor of the gender. Hence, celebrating esteemed trailblazers through the lens of younger generations to simultaneously uncover their inspirations is an ambitious endeavor. Whether it is representation, a surrealistic scene, or the dissolution of forms, color bolsters the intent. These works convene for the first time as a collective. Their shared nationality and gender are the sole commonalities, all bound by a singular fervor: their art.
Exhibition Credits: Produced by: LT and WWY galleries Concept and co-curatorship: Randa Sadaka Co-curatorship: Simon Mhanna Scenography: Simon Mhanna, Randa Sadaka, and Elias Abou Rizk
Project Initiators’ Biographies: A journalist, biographer, lecturer, and exhibition curator specializing in museum retrospectives, Randa Sadaka has penned numerous works. A luminary in the print and broadcast media, she was awarded the France-Lebanon Prize at the International Organization of La Francophonie (Paris) in 2014 for her novel “Nour, Between Shadows and Lights.” Crowned with the Middle East journalism award “Social Impact Reporting Initiative” (SIRI) by WAN-IFRA/Women in News in 2022, her oeuvre, spanning various mediums, attests that art is an act of faith.
Simon Mhanna is a neo-expressionist artist with works featured in several major institutions, including the Sursock Museum in Beirut, KKL Luzern, and François Pinault’s collection. Simon founded the LT Gallery and co-founded both the WWY Gallery in Beirut and the Introducer Gallery in Ghana. He holds a master’s degree in Critical and Curatorial Studies from the University of Prague.
Elias Abou Rizk serves as a project manager in the art industry. His expertise in art history, exhibition assembly, framing, and artwork handling encompasses program management. He is an alumnus of IESA art & culture in Paris.
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