The exhibition “Intimate Garden Scene (In Beirut)” at the Sursock Museum, inaugurated with a work by Marwan Rechmaoui composed of metal debris from the Beirut port explosion in 2020, offers a journey through three decades of Lebanese critical art . This exhibition, which runs until May 15, 2024, offers a retrospective of the works of artists who have marked the artistic scene since the founding of Ashkal Alwan in 1993, an association dedicated to the promotion of contemporary artistic practice in Lebanon.
Ashkal Alwan's first group exhibition took place in 1995 in the Sanayeh garden in Beirut. Since then, the association has continued to encourage artistic dialogue, notably through the biennial Home Works forum, started in 2000. The exhibition at the Sursock Museum presents an impressive collection of drawings, paintings, collages, videos, photos, sculptures, notebooks and archival documents. It includes works by artists such as Jalal Toufic, Mounira al-Solh, Lamia Joreige, Roy Samaha, and others who began their careers with Ashkal Alwan or contributed to his cultural activities.
This exhibition is not an anthology of Lebanese art from the last 30 years, but rather an exploration of the political and social realities of Lebanon, reflected through art. The works presented address various themes, such as the reconstruction of Beirut, current crises, the end of military occupations, the October 2019 uprising, the port explosion, gender issues, and more.
The exhibition, of remarkable density, requires several visits for a complete appreciation. It is accompanied by a program of films presented from mid-January 2024, thus enriching civic discourse and debate on contemporary Lebanese realities through art.