Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 

Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 
Alfred Tarazi was born during the civil war, and much of his work portrays his recollections of that time. (Supplied)
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Updated 19 January 2023

Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 

Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 
  • Tarazi’s latest installations examine his country’s cultural heritage from a personal perspective

DUBAI: An eye-popping mixture of images from the era of the Lebanese Civil War can be found at The Hangar, an exhibition space in Haret Hreik, Lebanon, run by UMAM Documentation and Research.  

UMAM is a local nonprofit dedicated to “understanding Lebanon’s present by dealing with the past.” So it makes perfect sense that the group is hosting Beirut-based artist Alfred Tarazi’s installation “Memory of a Paper City” —a vibrant, dynamic large-scale work which uses cut-out images and old photographs to capture not just the violence of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, but also the cultural response to it in the form of cultural figures including composer Ziad Rahbani, women scantily dressed in the bold attire of the era, images from the popular press that tell of a breakdown of social norms, photographs from the conflict and of other global celebrities and leaders such as Sylvester Stallone (as Rambo) and Che Guevara.  

Tarazi was born during the civil war, and much of his work portrays his recollections of that time — both personal and societal — and his desire to preserve his country’s history and heritage during the tumultuous present. 

In many ways, “Memory of a Paper City” is a call to action to celebrate Lebanon’s vibrant cultural heritage amid the current disintegration of state institutions that has led to the neglect and destruction of that heritage. Beirut, once a rich creative hub, is presently in disarray.  

During the first days of 2023, Lebanon’s only functioning power plant was shut down due to a worsening, long-running political dispute. While the country plunges into darkness, artists like Tarazi are working to keep the lights on, at least metaphorically.  

Tarazi is quick to stress that the installation doesn’t just portray Lebanon’s heritage, but that of the wider Middle East. 

“The ‘Paper City’ exhibition (takes) a lot from paper archives of magazines and newspapers from the 1930s until the end of the 1980s,” Tarazi tells Arab News. “While I was collecting material for the exhibition, I found a lot of archives from some seminal (regional) newspapers in Lebanon from the Thirties onwards. If you were working in the press in Lebanon (at that time), you were contributing to the entire Middle East.  

A series of external factors meant that huge amounts of such content were lost — “thrown away in the garbage due to numerous errors, lawsuits and bankruptcies,” as Tarazi puts it. Tarazi’s installation is a small step to restoring some of what was lost. 

“We looked at over 100 publications to collect their archives. These are magazines that existed from the 1930s to the end of the 1970s. It’s a vast, vast heritage. The installation thus has this national endeavor,” he says. 

Tarazi has a second installation being shown simultaneously — on the steps of The National Museum of Beirut and in a derelict warehouse nearby. “Hymne A L’Amour” highlights the country’s largely overlooked heritage of craftsmanship, though the lens of his own family’s artisanal legacy. While “Paper City” takes a more national, collective approach, “Hymne” looks at Lebanese history from a personal standpoint. 

In the warehouse there are thousands of handcrafted decorative works created by the Tarazi’s family, including Baghdadi ceiling panels, colored glass lanterns, copper and brass vessels and 19th-century doorframes. Many of the pieces are in need of restoration.  

“I come from a family of craftsmen and antique dealers which means there are a lot of objects that were passed from one generation to the other, and they fill a huge warehouse, where they’ve been rotting away for the past 50 years,” says Tarazi. 

His great-great-grandfather Dimitri Tarazi opened the first Maison Tarazi antiques store in Beirut in 1862, after escaping Damascus during the 1860 Civil War. The store soon became renowned for its high-end craftsmanship and the Tarazis became the official supplier to the Imperial Ottoman Sultan from 1900.  

Tarazi’s installation is a way to share these historically significant artefacts with the public. But there was also a very personal reason for him to stage the exhibition as soon as he could. 

“It was crucial for me to get the material out of the warehouse to work with it while my father is still alive,” he explains. “It entails a conversation between father and son. It has always been extremely difficult for me to extract information from my father about this vast cultural heritage, due to the war and everything that happened afterwards. It’s difficult for my father to speak about.” 

In other parts of the world, these historical pieces may have found their way into museums and private collections, but in Lebanon they are largely without a home. Tarazi says there is no institution in the country that presents how people once worked with wood, copper and fabrics.  

“All these materials are the fabric of life; they are life itself,” he says. “This is how people used to decorate their houses. This is how people used to build their lives. I became interested in seeing to what degree I could take the objects of my family and transform them into works of art.”  

On the steps of the museum, Tarazi has built a scale replica of the grand French embassy residence in Beirut, Residence des Pins. It was here that General Henri Gouraud declared the creation of the state of Greater Lebanon, on Sept. 1, 1920. 

Tarazi says the residence was first designed as a casino and was based on a model that has been passed down to him by his family. The original replica is one, Tarazi says, that he would have liked to have seen preserved in a museum. But since this never took place, he did it himself via a work of art. 

“Both projects are common examples of broken transmissions of history from one generation to the next that are harsh and abrupt,” Tarazi says. “Through my work, I’ve had the tendency to want to carry the weight of the history of Lebanon.” 

While it is painful to examine this history, it also, as Tarazi so eloquently expresses, offers a chance to revive memories of a Lebanese identity — and hope for a better future.  


Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside

Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside
Updated 13 sec ago

Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside

Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside
  • The London-headquartered Chineke! echoes similar efforts in the US, including the Detroit-based Sphinx organization that promotes representation of Black and Latino artists in classical music

NEW YORK: After more than three decades in the classical music industry, British double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku began grappling with the question that had troubled her for years: Why was she consistently the only Black musician onstage?
“Why did I never ask anyone about it? Why did we never talk about it?” she describes wondering. “Was I being tolerated, or were people just completely unaware?“
“Or were people okay with the status quo?“
In 2015 Nwanoku took a leading role in creating a more diverse future for classical music, which, from musicians to conductors to repertoire, traditionally skews heavily white.
She founded Chineke!, Europe’s first majority Black and ethnically diverse professional orchestra, which this week played at the prestigious New York Philharmonic’s David Geffen Hall in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center.
The performance was part of their long-awaited North American debut tour — it was among the many performances the pandemic pushed back — which included stops in New York, Ottawa, Toronto, Boston, Worcester and Ann Arbor.
The New York show featured the pioneering composer Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1, along with a rendition of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto featuring the New York Phil’s principal clarinet Anthony McGill.

The London-headquartered Chineke! echoes similar efforts in the United States, including the Detroit-based Sphinx organization that promotes representation of Black and Latino artists in classical music.
Yet the League of American Orchestras, which represents professional and amateur symphonies across the United States, found in a 2014 study on diversity that just 1.4 percent of orchestra musicians were Black — and there’s little reason to believe much has changed.
“Because the great majority of American orchestras are not individually transparent with racial and ethnic data on their artists, we do not know the percentage of Black orchestral artists in our orchestras today,” writes the Black Orchestral Network, a collective of Black musicians from more than 40 orchestras launched in 2022.
“From our vantage point, however, we have seen little meaningful progress.”
It’s mind-boggling to Nwanoku, who told AFP during a rehearsal break that “it seems to me that the only colleagues of color that I see who have a job in an orchestra in this country are those who are exceptional.”
“We have to be that much better to actually be given a job.”
Nwanoku believes that especially for young people, seeing more diverse faces onstage is “an immediate door-opener.”
“It’s the most incredibly winning thing to feel represented on a stage,” she said. “Even if when you walk through the front of house to buy a ticket, if you don’t see anyone who looks like you, that is immediately uncomfortable.”
“But when you see people that look like you in any place — in the supermarket, at the train station, at the concert hall, at the cinema — you immediately feel that is a place that I can walk into with confidence,” Nwanoku continued.
“You can be what you can see.”


Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch

Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch
Updated 22 March 2023

Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch

Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch
  • The specialist ‘tactile tours’ will be led by guides with extensive experience of working with visually impaired people
  • The initiative is part of the authority’s efforts to offer more inclusive museum experiences for people with disabilities

DUBAI: The Sharjah Museums Authority is putting on display replicas of some artifacts from its collections so that visitors with visual impairments can touch them.

The specialist ‘tactile tours’ will begin next month, the Emirates News Agency reported. In addition to being able to get their hands on the models of objects as part of the interactive museum experience, visually impaired visitors will also be offered brochures in braille containing additional information about the exhibits.

One of treasures a replica of which has been made is a copy of the Qur’an attributed to Uthman ibn Affan from the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization’s Abu Bakr Gallery of Islamic Faith. It is written in Kufic script on parchment made from animal skins.

Other replicas at the same gallery include a 6-meter-long Kaaba curtain decorated with Qur’anic verses and Islamic patterns, and a Qur’an that is one of the most prominent works by calligraphist Ahmed Karahisari.

At Sharjah Archaeology Museum, the replicas include a 7,000-year-old necklace discovered in Al-Buhais 18 cemetery, and a rectangular, soft-stone box dating back to between 2500 and 2000 B.C.

The tactile tours will be led by guides with extensive experience of working with visually impaired people. More replicas are due to be added next year.

Manal Ataya, the authority’s director-general, said the initiative is in line with the organization’s efforts to support people with disabilities and inclusion.

“At SMA we aim to provide an accessible and more inclusive museum experience for people with all disabilities by offering them equal access to our museums, displays and programs,” Ataya said.

The authority has launched a number of initiatives for people with disabilities in recent years, including an “Autism-Friendly Museums” project in 2018 that was the first of its kind in the Gulf region, according to the Emirates News Agency.


What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix

What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix
Updated 22 March 2023

What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix

What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix
  • The flicks were first showcased by emerging Saudi filmmakers at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021

RIYADH: “New Saudi Voices,” a collection of 11 short films, was released by Netflix in 2022. Each story has its own flare and characters on unique journeys.

The flicks were first showcased by emerging Saudi filmmakers at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021 under the New Saudi/New Cinema Shorts program.

All short movies stayed true to their genre including horror, science fiction, and comedy. The videography shots in the non-animated episodes reflected the mood of the story through light or dark hues.

However, some films fell short and had gaps in the storytelling process, leaving the viewer feeling underwhelmed or surprised by the turn of events. Many others delivered thought-provoking messages.

Khalid Fahad’s “Little Bird” had won the American Film Award and the Best Short Film Award at the Saudi Film Festival.

In the story, a boy named Malik has a difficult life and the film captures his loneliness, sadness, and frustration, with a tragic revelation at the end.

While the idea behind the movie is explained through a statement at the end, the initial viewing alone does not capture it fully and is somewhat shrouded in ambiguity. What makes the project bold is its foray into a topic that is seldom covered by films in the region.

“The Day I Lost Myself” by director Rami Alzayer highlights the daily struggles of people suffering from anxiety disorder. In the film, Salem is on his way to a job interview and gets stuck in an elevator with a stranger where they dive into a conversation about his condition.

The film contributes to an important conversation about mental health and brings awareness and understanding on the topic through the character’s personal journey.

Overall, “New Saudi Voices” is an ambitious and effective project that brings an array of diverse storytellers together to depict various facets of Saudi life.


UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award

UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award
Updated 22 March 2023

UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award

UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award
  • She was recognized for her philanthropy and her contributions to female empowerment
  • ‘I am proud to represent my country, where women have not had to struggle to obtain their rights’

LONDON: The UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza was honored on Tuesday with the Arab Woman Award at a ceremony in London in recognition of her contributions to female empowerment in the region and her philanthropic efforts in various countries, Vogue Arabia reported.

Sheikha Fatima has been a strong supporter of cultural initiatives, particularly those involving the arts and sports. 

She has endorsed several programs aimed at boosting the cultural scene in the UAE and the region through her role as chairwoman of the board of directors of the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy and the Fatima bint Hazza Cultural Foundation. 

Her other accomplishments include increasing access to education in Bangladesh, building schools in Kenya, and forming the Fatima bint Hazza Fund for Emirati women to pursue higher education abroad, Vogue Arabia reported.

She is “committed to enhancing the role of women in various ways, as she is a supporter of sports and arts, and we are honored to bestow her with the Achievement Award in Cultural Development,” the Arab London Foundation said.

The philanthropist has also helped broaden young people’s interest in fields such as art, literature, sustainability and community interaction, Vogue Arabia reported. 

The Fatima bint Hazza Cultural Foundation recently launched a series of short stories for young people focusing on culture, local identity and sustainability

Upon accepting her award, Sheikha Fatima praised Emirati leaders and their efforts to encourage women to pursue their dreams.

“Effective participation and making progress and positive change are the core values that we have been raised on,” she said. 

“I am proud to represent my country, the UAE, where women have not had to struggle to obtain their rights but have always been at the forefront since the establishment of the state.”


Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 

Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 
Updated 22 March 2023

Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 

Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 

DUBAI: British Moroccan model Nora Attal showed her support for her friend Dutch Palestinian catwalk star Gigi Hadid by modeling for her fashion label Guest in Residence. 

Hadid shared a picture on her brand’s Instagram page of Attal wearing one of her cashmere pieces from the label’s Core collection.

She then reshared the picture to her private account, tagging Attal and adding a white heart.

Instagram/ @guestinresidence 

The pair have appeared on many runways together, including the Versace show in Los Angeles earlier in March. 

Hadid wore two outfits. The first was a floor-length gown with a semi-sheer corset bodice and a voluminous satin bottom, while her second look featured a structured black blazer, a knee-high skirt with black leather gloves, shoes and a bag. 

Attal wore a sheer turtle-neck top with a puffy miniskirt and black stockings. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Nora Attal (@noraattal)

Hadid launched her clothing label, which features soft, colorful knitwear, in September. 

“Over the last handful of years, I didn’t want to be backed into starting my own line just because there was an offer on the table or a deal to be made,” she wrote to her followers on Instagram at the time.

As a result, the 27-year-old rejected many opportunities until she found a path that “felt genuine.”

“The earliest days of Guest in Residence came about when I started to question the cashmere market, and those answers gave me a path,” she wrote.

“I believe that because of its sustainable qualities — natural and made to cherish and to pass down — cashmere is a luxury that should be more accessible.”

The model hopes her brand will encourage investment in quality pieces at reasonable prices, “and a wardrobe that can grow and change with your style, that can endure life with you, and that can become heirlooms.”