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16 THE DAILY STAR thursday, may 5, 2011 ARTS & CULTURE AGENDA LEBANON MUSIC ‘Tania Saleh’ USJ, Pierre Abou Khater auditorium, Damascus Street, Achrafieh May 5-6, 9 p.m. 01-421-000 / 01-999-666 (for ticketing) After the release of her second album “Wehde,” Lebanon’s much-loved vocaist Tania Saleh presents a concert of folk-infected tunes contemplative of politicsper- sonal feeling. ‘Between Dreams and Reality’ University of Balamand, Zakhem Auditorium, Al-Koura, North Lebanon May 20, 7:30 p.m. 06-930-250 Organized by the Office of Public Relations, Rabih Rihana Trio presents their instrumental music concert. ‘The Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra’ St. Joseph Church, St. Joseph Street, Achrafieh May 6, 8:30 p.m. 01-489-530 On the occasion of Europe Day, EU Ambassador Angeli- na Eichhorst and conductor Walid Gholmieh present an evening of classical music performed by the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra. PHOTOGRAPHY ‘Le Louvre transfigure’ French Cultural Center, main exhibition hall, Damascus Road May 5 to June 1 01-420-205 French photographer Jean- Christophe Ballot presents work dealing with the changes at Paris’ Louvre museum over the last decade. THEATER ‘Theatre B’ Al-Madina Theater, Hamra Street, Hamra May 5-7, 8:30 p.m. 01-753-010 / 01-753-011 Inspired by two Beirut landmarks, the Theater Beirut and Café de Paris, Jean-Yves Picq presents a monologue addressing reconstruction of Beirut in the wake of the Civil War. In French. ‘50+1: 51 carats bines’ Theater Monnot, Saint Joseph Street, Achrafieh Until May 8, 9 p.m. 01-202-422 Lebanese comedian Samy Khayath returns to the stage with his wife Nayla to present his comic take on his Lebanese countrymen. In Arabic. ART ‘Oil and Watercolors’ Kromatik Art Gallery, Mar Mikhael Street, facing SAAB, Gemmayzeh May 12-28 01-568-345 Thailand artist Attasit Pokpong exhibits artwork painted between 2005 and 2007. An opportunity to see Pokpong last watercolors and oil on canvases. ‘Souad Amin 2000-2010’ Al-Madina Theater, Noha Al- Radi Hall, Sarroulla building, Hamra Street, Hamra May 5-12 01-753-010 / 01-753-011 After participating in a num- ber of collective exhibition, Lebanese Artist Souad Amin finally presents her much awaited solo exhibition. REVIEW PREVIEW What a splendid thing watercolor is to express atmosphere and distance, so that the figure is surrounded by air and can breathe in it. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch post-impressionist painter Just a thought An art from the far edge of illness By Ali Ettehad Special to The Daily Star T EHRAN: In his best-known works the iconic Iranian artist Fereydoun Ave has constantly investigated historical turning points, ancient motifs and the social aspects of his ancestral mythology – aspects that move through historical and contemporary narratives. Through his 2003 series, “In search of Heroes,” Ave merges the figures of Iranian wrestlers with ancient reliefs of Persian kings and warriors, a selec- tive collage that conflates the relation- ship between ancient Persian heroes and those of our own time. In a more metaphorical approach to the same method of investigation, the next two series, “Rostam in late sum- mer” and “Rostam in the dead of win- ter,” betray a strong continuity with “Heroes.” As he unifies the ancient masculine personage, Rostam, he introduces a criteria he calls “macho- mystic” as a means of opening up the interpretative range of the work. Though his works use Persian mythological discourse as their codex, Ave has also used more global para- digms. In his “D-Art boards For Tibet,” he depicts the Chinese-Tibetan conflict in twin dart boards, Maos and Mande- las. Throughout his oeuvre, Ave has often interwoven local fable and histo- ry with memories of a wider world. “Recent Works,” Ave’s latest show in Khak Gallery, represents something of a departure from this earlier work, illustrating his own personal history – a tale of survival after a long battle with illness. “Recent Works” consists of 11 mixed-media pieces and seven sculp- tures. Each of the mixed-media works begins with haphazard schemas and splashes of watercolor. The artist then prints familiar snapshots of daily life. Finally he over-paints them with new watercolor splashes. Based on the evidence of this show, Ave’s personal history includes a half- naked figure, flowers and wreaths, colorful world atlases with bunches of flowers, a still photo of a chair and a closed window with blinds, a reclining figure of the artist, a chalice, furrowed pillows and family portraits. From one standpoint, at least, these motifs represent the artist’s personal history. But they are also universal, in that they can evoke images that would spark in any spectator’s imagination. Born in 1945, Ave belongs to the first generation of Iranian contempo- rary artists who in the 1970s chal- lenged the art of the Middle East and western Asia generally. His works are often intuitive responses to Iran’s social and political conditions. The work is hardly parochial, though, since ancient mythology and history are not limited to the Iranian experience alone. Ave is one of those figures whose oeuvre has been characterized as an extreme form of contemporary art. He strongly believes in the “pure idea of [the] arts.” The artist has said he regards his new series of work to be akin to a poem. These works create words and clauses, as if the poetic lexicon were located within this world. Like a poem, Ave’s art is capable of provok- ing multiple readings. A nude figure may depict the cham- pion of ancient Persian mythology, or symbolize an inter-textual indicator for critics – or even a link to his older works. For Ave, the figure is a diary- like realization of a Turkish wrestler he once met in Paris. An antique Persian photograph surely relates to Qajar-era photography, though it is a family por- trait of Ave’s ancestors in Yazd. Ave’s “Divas” both address an era of fear and stability, as referenced in “Haftan Amshaspandan” (“Amshas- pand” means “blessed immortal”) and gigantic sphinxes. Ave builds a con- temporary legion of sphinxes in which fear and security are nurtured in a par- allel and equal fashion. As he names these creatures, he tends to depict the paradoxical nature of fear and security, a mixture that is born in an inconsistent organism, that has pushed its way through aeons, surviving in the socio-political patterns of our time. Ave exhibits these works without an appendix. He releases anonymous lived experience to blend itself into our common history. Just as these pictori- al clauses are reinterpreted from time to time, different senses of these anonymous memories transform into a sort of poetic text. Archaeology and reliance on the encounter of similes makes this body of work a set of “chansons imagi- naires.” Ave’s works tend to divulge oblivion, an oblivion where things are neither forgotten nor remembered, where the wax idol of his contempo- rary life, and common sense, melt and congeal under the sun. Fereydoun Ave’s ”Recent Works” is up at Tehran’s Khak Gallery until May 16. Fereydoun Ave’s ‘Recent Works,’ signals a personal departure from his oeuvre All photos compliments of Khak Gallery. A champion of ancient Persian mythology, a diary-like realization of a Turkish wrestler Ave once met in Paris. Ave’s personal history ranges from world atlases with bunches of flowers to family portraits. By Emily Holman Special to the Daily Star B eirut: Lebanon’s big summer music festivals seem designed to lure people out of Beirut. Baalbak has its festival, as do Beiteddine and Byblos. Beirut, on the other hand, seems to be the preserve for year-round festivals, platforms and forums devoted to film and video art, dance, fine and plastic arts and (depending on how plastic your defini- tion of “Beirut” and “music”) classical and free improv music. Never fear. The status quo is set to change, sort of. A little later this month, the Beirut Music and Art Fes- tival (BMAF) intends to transform downtown Beirut into a performance venue. This is the first BMAF, though organisers want the event to become an annual fixture. Organized by the Ministry of Tourism in co-operation with Solidere (the private company licensed to retool downtown Beirut for the post- Civil War era), BMAF aims to “put culture back on the daily agenda.” Mobilizing over 200 local and inter- national artists to perform over a three- week period, BMAF certainly means to provoke international attention. Performers include such interna- tional bigwigs as “Earth Wind and Fire,” “Sister Sledge,” and ex-Super- tramper Roger Hodgson. Local lumi- naries Lena Chamamyan and Tania Kassis are also among the performers. Co-directed by Beirut Jazz Festival organizer John Kassabian, Hamra Street Festival organizer Fadi Ghazzaoui and Imad Darwich-Houssami, BMAF hopes to “usher in the renaissance of Beirut’s golden age of art and culture.” “Beirut is a capital city, at the cross- roads of three continents and a gateway between East and West,” said John Kassabian. “Musical and artistic trends tend to take off from capital cities, the cultural centers of a country. As the cul- tural heart of the entire region, Beirut deserves to have its own music and art festival … The time has come.” The program is not limited to inter- national stars. BMAF has declared its desire to support local artists, so less- er-known local and foreign bands both are being given a performance plat- form from May 19 till June 2. With 45 bands in total, three groups per night will perform in the Beirut Souqs. The mélange of East and West will also include a patchwork of musi- cal styles, jazz and blues, oriental clas- sical and hip-hop. “It’s time to broaden our horizons,” opined Ghazzaoui. “It’s time to create a stage that promotes fusion, where Lebanon will both learn and share with our international guests. We want to give these groups a platform to express themselves on a bigger stage.” The lineup for the Beirut Souq Music Village devoted to experimen- tation, featuring a smattering of Beirut Underground, and less-underground, artists like Rayess Bek, “Home Made,” “Amy Smack Daddy,” and “Zeid and the Wings.” The Beirut Souqs will also play host to a wide range of other art events and activities. “Mayadeen” art exhibition, is set to occupy downtown Beirut from May 18 till June 5. Subtitled “A Public Space Project,”Mayadeen, according to BMAF promotional literature, is “a platform for evolving practices in a discourse about public spaces’ every- day life.” “Mayadeen” aims to “dissect the evolving state of Beirut’s public spaces.” Exhibition applicants were asked to perform an inquiry into the contemporary perception of cities and the cityscape. It is also particularly interested in the impact of digital media and the role that public images have upon society. Cura- tor Ghada Waked is hoping that “Mayadeen” will initiate a debate about how “space itself is altered in negotiat- ing cultural traditions, political priori- ties, community values and history.” “Mayadeen” will include a diverse range of media, including photogra- phy, projections, printed banners, per- formances and installations. The aim of “Mayadeen” corre- sponds with Kassabian’s vision for BMAF. “This,” he said of BMAF, “is for culture’s sake, and not just for music’s sake.” BMAF is providing two open after- noons of musical performance on the festival’s first weekend. From 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sun- day, local Lebanese bands are free to perform for the public. “We are extending special consid- eration and support to local artists and bands within the umbrella of an international festival. This is some- thing that has never been done before,” Kassabian remarked. At 4 p.m. on May 21, BMAF will hold an hour-long march from Saifi to Starco. “The Beirut Parade,” as it’s being called, is set to be suitably bombastic, with plenty of music and color to fill the air. The co-directors have pledged that BMAF is here to stay. “Year after year, the Beirut music and art festival will honor the past, celebrate the present and look to the future of music, art and culture. This,” said Ghazzaoui, “is just the beginning.” The Beirut Music and Art Festival runs from May 19-June 12. The grandstand per- formances will be held at New Waterfront (BIEL) May 27-June 12. Beirut Music and Art Festival: ‘This is just the beginning’ Zeid and the Wings is among the local acts being featured during BMAF. Photos by Tanya Traboulsi Local art rock heroes LUMI will also be in the spotlight.
