The creative industry in Lebanon has suffered massively from the crises infesting the country. To offer support to the predominant Lebanese art scene, PIASA* auction house in Paris will feature tens of Lebanese artists and designers.
On Wednesday, From Beirut Art & Design Scene will highlight around 70 Lebanese designers and artists, including both established and up-and-coming ones.
The exhibition will take place in two complementary parts; the first section is reserved for designers, and the second one is for artists.
Designers featured on this show will present works with a contemporary and western theme, whereas the artists’ pieces will have a traditional, regional taste.
The PIASA show, curated by Beirut Art Fair’s Johanna Chevalier, aims to showcase the abundance and diversity in Lebanon’s artistic production, which has come against a serious challenge over the past few months.
“People always ask artists to give pieces to help NGOs or associations, and now it is them who need help,” Chevalier told The Daily Star.
The container transporting the works to the Paris exhibition left Beirut before the blast, “which can now, even more, help all these artists and galleries who lost everything,” she added.
From Beirut Art & Design Scene will feature paintings by late legendary painter Shafic Abboud; famed sculptor Chaouki Choukini; painter, sculptor, and printmaker Hussein Madi; in addition to numerous iconic figures as well as emerging talents.
The works of designers Nada Debs and Rumi Dalle will also be featured on the show.
The dwindling creative sector in Lebanon today is becoming more reliant on external help to thrive. After the blast, PIASA decided to donate 5% of its sales to fund scholarships for Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) students.
Similarly, “Dikkeni,” an online concept store based in London, is centered around supporting Lebanese artists and talents during the crisis.
*PIASA Curator Auction House is located at 118 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris.
