Art to Live, Art to Learn
“Art to Learn, Art to Live, is a group exhibition of works by Lebanon’s leading contemporary painters, photographers, sculptors, and multimedia artists creating in Lebanon and internationally. The exhibition will take place at Lebanese American University’s New York City campus and cultural center in Midtown Manhattan.
Lebanon has been dealt a heavy blow by a series of events including the 2020 port explosion and the worsening financial crisis. Despite this, Lebanon’s long tradition of excellence in the fine arts continues today in its vibrant contemporary art scene.”
Atamian Hovsepian Curatorial Practice presents Art to Learn, Art to Live:
Contemporary Art from Lebanon at LAU NY. September 6-19, 2022.
​
​
“Art to Learn, Art to Live,” is a group exhibition of works by Lebanon’s leading contemporary painters, photographers, sculptors, and multimedia artists creating in Lebanon and internationally. The exhibition will take place at Lebanese American University’s New York City campus and cultural center in Midtown Manhattan, September 6-19, with a Press Conference on September 7 at noon and an evening reception 6-8 P.M.
Lebanon has been dealt a heavy blow by a series of events including the 2020 port explosion and the worsening financial crisis. Despite this, Lebanon’s long tradition of excellence in the fine arts continues today in its vibrant contemporary art scene.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an online auction on artscoops.com, September 7- 12. Proceeds from the auction will go directly to support student financial aid and cancer care at LAU in Lebanon.
The Lebanese American University’s New York Academic Center (LAU NY) is an off-campus hub for global educational outreach and cross-cultural dialogue. In keeping with the vision and global aspirations of Lebanese American University, the Center focuses on initiatives anchored in the values of a liberal arts education. It fosters academic partnerships, expands the experiences of LAU students and faculty abroad, and increases the global visibility of the University and Lebanon.
LAU New York is located at 211 East 46th Street New York, NY 10017. Please contact chris@atamianhovsepian.art with any questions or press inquiries.
Artists of note in the exhibition include:
• Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Fadia Ahmad’s photographs are conceived as paintings. Her most recent project, Beyrouth/Beirut (2019), is a homage to Lebanon’s capital. To complete this photo series, Ahmad walked a daily itinerary of 10,452 steps across the city. The project is a quest for identity and belonging, in which Ahmad seeks the roots of the Self.
• Abstract painter and Chair Head of LAU’s Fine Arts Department, Hanibal Srouji is known for using a blowtorch to create small holes and lines on his canvases. One of the leading artists in the Middle East, he has been awarded numerous prizes including the Ahmed Asseleh Prize, Algiers, 1999 and the 49th Saint-Cloud exhibition Grand Prize.
• Chucrallah Fattouh: one of Lebanon’s most famous living artists sells his work at leading galleries and his abstract paintings have been auctioned by Bonhams. An accomplished representational and abstract painter, he received a special medal from Queen Elizabeth at the 2006 London GCC Polo Cup of London.
• Fadi Balhawan: Injured during the Lebanese Civil War in 1976, Balhawan took up drawing and fine arts. The rest is history: he shows his delicate, nature and calligraphy-inspired works at M.A.D.S. Gallery and internationally.
“Art to Learn, Art to Live” has taken flight thanks to the generous donations from artists eager to help their home country. Given the incredible range and nature of the works, the curators arranged the exposition according to aesthetic and thematic lines.
Complete List of Participating Artists:
Zoha Abdulsater, Fadia Ahmad, Anas Al Braehe, Nicolas Baaklini, Oussama Baalbaki, Dalia Baasiri, Betina Badr, Fadi Balhawan, Rached Bohsali, Tatiana Boulos, Elio Chaghoury, David Daoud, Darwiche Chamaa, Benoit Debanne, Nada Debs, Mohamad El Masry, Caline Farah, Chucrallah Fattouh, Philippe Farhat, Lee Frederix, George Geara, Bassam Geitani, Corine Gholam, Tamara Haddad, Aida Halloum, Issa Halloum, Joseph Harb, Lina Husseini, Carole Ingea, Elie Kanaan, Magali Katra, Charles Khoury, Bahij Jaroudi, Hussein Madi, Mathieu Makhlouf, Nada Matta, Wissam Melhem, Ribal Molaeb, Roger Moukarzel, Zeina Nader, Francis Nayef Francis, Nevine Mattart, Micheline Nohra, Ara Oshagan, Louma Rabah, Claude Saba, Charbel Sader, Hanibal Srouji Adlita Stephan, Samir Tamari, Jean Pierre Tarabay, Missak Terzian, Emilio Trad and Tom Young.