The multidisciplinary space While We're Young (WWY) combines female commitment. This upcoming exhibition, scheduled for Wednesday the 4th of October 2023 at 6 pm, introduces seven emerging female artists, who employ various approaches to create artworks inspired by the achievements of their renowned predecessors. From a representation to a dissolution of form, colour sometimes asserts itself in its own quality.
Etel Adnan, Untitled - 44.5 x 37cm - Mixed Media on Paper,1990.
Co-curated by Randa Sadaka and Simon Mhann, this mixed curatorship, akin to a museum's scope, encompasses a range of artistic mediums. For the first time, institutional collections venture beyond the confines of the museum. The dialogue includes an oil painting by Yvette Achkar, sourced from the Ministry of Culture – BEMA collection, alongside contributions from private collectors. The exhibition also includes a coloured pencil and watercolour piece by Etel Adnan, owned by Abraham Karabajakian; an oil on canvas by Bibi Zoghbé lent by Naila Kettaneh-Kunigk; and an oil on wood creation by Helen Khal, part of Kim and Makram Debbas' collection. In response to the legacy of modernist art, contemporary unity is expressed through the works of (listed alphabetically) Sara Abou Mrad, Tamara Haddad, Mayssa Khoury, Shereen Kouwatly, Annie Kurkdjian, Vicky Mokbel, and Fatima Mortada. Yesterday's creation feeds tomorrow's.
Bold, bright, and richly textured brushstrokes disrupt the canvas, creating a sense of constant frenzy. The strangely messy shapes, awkwardly stacked on top of each other, suggest a wonderful reality. These artists are reshaping the foundations of artistic expression and documenting the evolving social landscape in Lebanon, reflecting on feminism or the representation of female bodies. The aim is to question the place of women within the artistic world, as well as the status of their bodies subjected to political and social pressures. These works break the silent and docile passivity traditionally attributed to the genre.
Nadia Saikali, After the Dance - 80 x 55 cm - Oil on Canvas, 1958. Helen Khal, Untitled - 37 x 27 cm - Oil on Wood, 2000.
Celebrating the most beloved pioneers is an ambitious goal, viewed through the perspective of the younger generations to reveal their inspiration at the same time, in the same place. The outcome offers a multiplicity of artistic practices whether it is figurative art, surrealist scenes, or dissolution of forms, with colour supporting the intention. These artworks come together for the very first time. Their only common point is the nationality and gender of their creators, all linked by their one and only passion: their art.
Juliana Seraphim, Dawn of the Gypsy - 1969. 92 x 72 cm - Oil On Canvas.
Exhibition credits
Production: LT and WWY galleries
Creation and co-curator: Randa Sadaka
Co-curator: Simon Mhanna
Scenography: Simon Mhanna, Randa Sadaka, and Elias Abou Rizk
Biographies of the initiators of the project:
Journalist, biographer, lecturer, and curator specialising in museum retrospectives, Randa Sadaka is the author of numerous books. A figure in the written and audiovisual press, she won the France-Lebanon Prize at the headquarters of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (Paris) in 2014 for her novel "Nour, entre ombres et lumières". Winner of the WAN-IFRA/Women in News Middle East Journalism Award "Social Impact Reporting Initiative" (SIRI) in 2022, her output across all media is a testament to the fact that art is an act of faith.
Simon Mhanna is a neo-expressionist artist whose works are present in various major institutions, including the Sursock Museum in Beirut and the KKL Luzern or the collection of François Pinault. Mhanna is the founder of LT Gallery, co-founder of WWY Gallery in Beirut and Introducer Gallery in Ghana. He has a Master's degree in Critical and Curatorial Studies from the University of Prague.
Elias Abu Rizk is a project manager in the art industry. His skills in art history, exhibition mounting, framing and manipulation of works of art cover programme management. He graduated from IESA art & culture in Paris.
WWY Gallery - Public Lecture Programme
Dialogue | Art in fusion
Simon Mhanna and Randa Sadaka
Friday 6th of October at 6:30 pm (following a guided tour of the WWY Gallery at 6 pm)
Gallerist Simon Mhanna will discuss with Randa Sadaka the panorama of the art scene and will also present his own artistic journey.
Simon Mhanna is an artist, founder of LT Gallery and co-founder of WWY Gallery in Beirut.
Randa Sadaka is a curator.
Conference | Art and institutions
Karina El Hélou, Yasmine Hélou, Cyril Karaoglan and Juliana Khalaf. Moderated by Randa Sadaka
Tuesday 10th of October at 6:30 pm
Karina El Helou, Yasmine Helou, Cyril Karaoglan, and Juliana Khalaf will discuss the reality of the artistic field. This conference will highlight how art is anchored in an institutional reality from which it cannot be detached.
Karina El Helou is the director of the Sursock Museum.
Yasmine Helou is an independent curator currently based in Venice, Italy.
Cyril Karaoglan is Executive Director at Nasco-France and an expert in art insurance.
Juliana Khalaf is co-director of BeMa (Beirut Museum of Art).
Meeting | Words of collectors
Richard Haykel, Kim Issa Debbas, Jihad Mikhail and Carole Rassi Hajj Chahine. Moderated by Randa Sadaka
Thursday the 12th of October at 6:30 pm
Richard Haykel, Jihad Mikhail, Carole Rassi Hajj Chahine, and Kim Issa Debba will discuss the challenges of building an art collection.
Richard Haykel is an art collector, board member of BeMa (Beirut Art Museum), and president of Haykel Hospital.
Kim Issa Debbas is an art collector and entrepreneur based in Beirut.
Jihad Mikhail is a strategy and branding consultant. He is an art collector.
Carole Rassi Hajj Chahine is a lawyer and art collector.
