Defying the Violence at OIB

The Orient-Institut Beirut invites you to the launch of Manazir Journal 7: Defying the Violence – Lebanon’s Visual Arts in the 1980s, edited by Nadia von Maltzahn (OIB/LAWHA).

The 1980s in Lebanon were dominated by war, destruction, and displacement, yet they were also a time of continuities and creative resistance. This special issue explores how Lebanon’s artists, cultural players, and institutions navigated this formative decade. While violence fragmented the country, many continued to create, exhibit, and reflect. Galleries like Galerie Damo and Épreuve d’Artistes opened in defiance of the conflict. Cultural activist Janine Rubeiz transformed her home into a cultural space. The Sursock Museum resumed exhibitions in 1982 after years of closure.

Artists responded in complex ways. Jamil Molaeb and Amine El Bacha turned to printmaking and tapestry. Fadi Barrage and Mona Hatoum reflected on belonging and exile through abstraction, performance, or video art. Amine El Bacha’s picnic scenes emerged as quiet acts of resistance. Greta Naufal engaged intensely with her surroundings. Even when not directly depicting war, the art of this period responded to its fractured context. This was not a lost decade, but a formative one where displacement could be generative, shaping new communities and artistic expressions.

The launch includes an exhibition display of archival material from art critic Joseph Tarrab’s archive (donated to OIB), plus material from Galerie Damo, the Sursock Museum, Mohammad El Rawas, Greta Naufal, and Kufa Gallery. Two videos offer insights into forced displacement’s personal impact and the lived reality of artists who remained in Lebanon.

Manazir Journal 7 features contributions by Monique Bellan, Ashraf Osman, Flavia Malusardi, Cigdem Ivren, Jessica Gerschultz, Nadia von Maltzahn, Joan Grandjean, an interview with Greta Naufal, and a roundtable with Mohammad Rawas, Rose Issa, Nadine Begdache, and Saleh Barakat.

Thursday, January 8, 2026, 5-7pm Orient-Institut Beirut, Rue Hussein Beyhoum 44, Zokak el-Blat

Exhibition accessible weekdays January 8-15, 10am-4pm.

All are welcome.