Maintain: Collective exhibition
Exhibition Gallery 1
November 10, 2022 - February 25, 2023
New Exhibition Opening on
Thursday, November 10, 2022
in Gallery 1
Maintain: Collective exhibition with:
The curator is usually seen as a solitary figure that yields substantial power in the art world. But far from the associations the term might conjure in the context of contemporary art today, the curator was originally a custodian, who cared for a collection, cured and preserved its narratives, and restored the voices within it back to health. With this in mind, we wonder if one could curate (in) Beirut, and whether the act of curating might still hold within it the infinitesimal ability to heal.
We know that there can be no healing alone, that it can only be achieved collectively, like justice, like freedom. Yet, the need to survive doesn’t always bring out the most noble version of ourselves, and we are not always ready to come together at the times when doing so is most urgently needed.
We have invited 4 collectives to reflect on their experiences and practices, their legacies and histories. The participating collectives are Haven for Artists, Heya, Qorras and Yalla Bala Manyake. We think of the resulting exhibition as a reflection on the challenges of collectivity, as well as the terms and conditions along which collectivities might be formed.
Haven for Artists is a cultural feminist organization based in Beirut, Lebanon, working at the intersection of art and activism.
Heya Collective is a practice based research project from and about women in the Middle East who make experimental sound and music.
Qorras is a group working on collecting, producing and disseminating queer and trans feminist knowledge on issues of gender and sexuality.
Yalla Bala Manyake is a collective of 4 women whose practice consists in putting together independent exhibitions in abandoned locations in Beirut.
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Visuals prepared by Nour El Samman in the framework of BAC Graphic-Designer in Residence Program
