ARTS & CULTURE
THE DAILY STAR
AGENDA LE BAN O N FILM ‘Arna’s Children’ Metropolis – Empire Sofil, Achrafieh May 5, 8 p.m. Tickets LL5000.00 +961 3 793 065 Filmmaker Juliano MerKhamis is the son of Arna Mer-Khamis, who established Jenin Palestinian refugee camp’s Freedom Theater, a platform for youngsters to find joy and self-expression through art against the Israeli occupation.The filmmaker’s award-winning documentary seeks out what has become of some of her youthful charges. In Arabic, Hebrew and English with English subtitles. PHOTOGRAPHY ‘East Jerusalem and its Environs’ The Hangar, Haret Hreik Through May 10, 4-9 p.m. +961 1 55 36 04; +961 70 05 48 71 This exhibition of works shot by Peter Riedlinger between 2001 and 2008 is part of UMAM’s “Us/Them” series. ART ‘Electoral Candidate’ Safana Gallery, Verdun Through May 6 +961 1 869 564 Charbel Samuel Aoun’s satirical paintings targeting political advertising transfer to the Safana Gallery.
R E VI E W
‘Exposure 2009’ Beirut Art Center, Jisr alWati, Building 13, Street 97, off Corniche al-Nahr. Through June 9, 12-8 p.m. +961 1 397 018; +961 70 26 21 12 An exhibition of works by emerging artists Tamara al-Samerraei, Nadim Asfar, Sirine Fattouh, John Jurayj, Jennifer Maghzal, Karine Wehbé and Raed Yassin. ‘From Havana to Beirut’ South Border Gallery, Gemmayzeh Through May 9 +961 1 584 040 The Lebanese-Cuban artist Luis Enrique Camejo presents a series of paintings capturing the different senses of light and movement of the two cities.
STAR SCENE
Self-portrait as a document of one society in flux ‘Unselfish Auto-Portraits’ exhibits work of 20 young Iranian artists Bavand Behpoor Special to The Daily Star
EHRAN: A shower of white foam pours from the mirrored openmouthed figure of Behrang Samadzadegan’s untitled piece, taken from his series “H&H = Heaven & Hell.” The cycle provokes a cacophony of questions to the spectator. “What if the dwellers of hell were given a chance to represent what they are experiencing? What if I had the chance to depict the hell I have internalized?” Such questions follow you through “Auto-portraits,” a group exhibition of photobased self-portraits by 20 young Iranian artists, accompanied by an audio self-portrait by sound artist Kaveh Kateb. Curated by photographer-critic Ali Ettehad, the show was on display in Tehran’s Azad Art Gallery in April. Self-portraiture characterizes a great deal of Iranian contemporary art, which in its commitments seems more of a movement rather than a category. It is striking how sharply this art differs from its mainstream European counterpart. No matter how seriously it is dragged
T
Samadzadegan’s untitled piece from series ‘H&H = Heaven & Hell.’
into the art market or is faithful to the western audience, it remains obsessively attentive to the social life of a people who may altogether ignore it. One might try to defend this movement for how hard it tries to compensate for the lack of attention given to the complicated situation in Iran, and to pro-
The work of Ali Ettehad, who curated the show.
‘Beyro by Abi Hanna – Abi Hanna by Beyro’ Dar al-Mona Fine Arts, Batroun Through May 17 +961 6 642 215 Lebanese artist Hanna Abi Hanna and Argentinean Diego Beyro present a series of portraits, exploring perceptions of the self and the other. ‘Essences’ State of Art Gallery, Sin al-Fil Through May 20 +961 1 489 038 Painter and furniture designer Sandra Kheir Sahyoun launches her new gallery with an exhibition of acrylic canvases of exotic figures inspired by travels in Yemen and India, together with a collection of her table designs.
monday, may 4, 2009
vide a careful, cruel critique. Ettehad and Nikoo Tarkhani’s contributions (both of which are printed on mirrors) could be gendered reflections of one another. Tarkhani captures herself enclosed within an ornate cage. Elaborately framed, standing before a work of dire contemporary architecture, Ettehad is enclosed within a hooded army fatigue jacket. Both artists clutch objects to their chests. Having pushed through the mesh, Tarkhani’s hands frame a bowel that should be a camera lens. Ettehad grasps a toy police car. Behrouz Rae’s untitled work is self-deconstruction in action. Fully intact when it was hung on April 3, the print began to slowly fade, so that at the end of the exhibition it was blank paper, albeit one redolent of the smell of Sex Appeal cologne. Ghazaleh Hedayat’s work resembles a wallpaper sample, whose pattern is comprised of her own face. At first, this isn’t obvious to the spectator, who has to come very close to the picture to see that it is made up of some 4000 of Hedayat’s selfportraits. (“What if I am im-
prisoned in a mirror-worked oriental shrine which reflects my shattered image thousands of times?”) The new current of young Iranian contemporary artists takes the revolutionary ambition more seriously than the revolutionaries themselves and tries to remember what the revolution is apparently eager to render unforgettable. Thus, it can be said that Iranian contemporary art has taken a personal interest in a political structure that takes no interest in it. The art looks into itself as a by-product of a discourse in order to make itself critical, thereby destabilizing the rigidity of the steely, frozen catastrophe around it. More an accomplice than a judge, the current’s powerful core is its rejection of being a victim. All this expresses itself in variations on a theme of selfportraiture. The works Ettehad has chosen here show a striking similarity in attitude without sharing much resemblance in their modes of expression. All these bitter, confessional selfportraits – which the catalogue suggests are more related to society than the “self” – are imbued with a courage to cut through one’s image to reach an insight into the over all situation. The selection is, surprisingly, less about personal unreachable “histories” than one collective history that has been so cruel towards the mutliplicity of individuals. The works go beyond a sense of narcissism and push aside what one understands of self-portraiture and use the image of the artist himself to neutralize any personal identity, as Samira Alikhanzadeh does by using pyramidical mirrors which depict those standing next the spectator, rather than the spectator himself. It seems the current movement of Iranian contemporary art develops against a hatred of Lacan and his famous mirror or void. It tries to escape the mirror-worked shrine, to break through the mirror, to liberate the one trapped behind it.
Reuters
NEW YORK: An Iranian film about college friends reuniting for a weekend by the Caspian Sea and a US documentary about teenage go-kart racers won the top prizes at theTribeca Film Festival on Thursday. Asghar Farhadi’s “About Elly” (“Darbareye Elly”) won the Best Narrative Feature and Marshall Curry’s “Racing Dreams” took out the Best Documentary Feature. The directors, who have previously shown films at Tribeca, were each awarded $25,000. The world narrative competition judges – producer Richard Fischoff, filmmaker Todd Haynes, and actors Bradley Cooper, Meg Ryan and Uma Thurman – described “About Elly” as a “seamless piece of ensemble filmmaking.” “The universality of the characters and themes, and the directors riveting grasp of this story make ‘About Elly’ a film that collapses barriers and deepens our understanding of the world we share,” they said. The judges in the world documentary competition were
Golshifteh Farahani and Taraneh Alidousti in “About Elly.”
filmmakers Liz Garbus, Morgan Spurlock, author and academic Henry Louis Gates, Jr., actress Whoopi Goldberg, and NBC News anchor Brian Williams. “Is it nature or nurture?” the judges said. “Is it the car or the driver? While those eternal questions will live on, we reacted with unanimous, unquestioned affection for ‘Racing Dreams,’ and found it a completely compelling, entertaining film of incredible quality.” Norwegian director Rune Denstad Langlo was named Best New Narrative Filmmaker
for “North” (“Nord”), which tells the tale of a depressed 30year-old ski lift operator who sets off to reclaim the life he lost after a sporting accident. Irish actor Ciaran Hinds won the Best Actor award for playing a widower with children who volunteers at a literary festival in “The Eclipse,” while US actress Zoe Kazan won the Best Actress award for her role as a college student in “The Exploding Girl.” Ian Olds won the Best New Documentary Filmmaker for “Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal
Music for the masses Lebanese musicians mark May Day
‘Somewhere … Elsewhere …’ The Running Horse Contemporary Art Space, Medawar, Beirut Through May 30 +961 3 710 225. The inaugural show of this brand new space features the work of oftexhibited painter Sigrid Glöerfelt.
Naqshbandi,” which examines the life of anAfghani who translates and arranges interviews for foreign journalists. Naqshbandi was kidnapped and beheaded by the Taliban in 2007. “A film about an unsavory world, and its unsavory characters,which through its superb direction, shines a light on a world unfamiliar to manyAmericans,” the jury commented. In the New York competition category, the Best Narrative went to “Here and There,” directed by Serbian Darko Lungulov, starring David Thornton and his wife, singer Cyndi Lauper. It tells the tale of a jaded middle-aged New Yorker who travels to Serbia to make some quick money by marrying a woman who wants to move to the United States. Best Documentary in the New York competition went to “Partly Private,” which explores the issue of circumcision and is directed by Danae Elon. The eighth annual Tribeca Film Festival, founded by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff to help rejuvenate Manhattan after the September 11 attacks, showed 85 feature films from 32 countries.
Steve Allen (1921-2000) American Comic, Actor, Composer and Writer
BEIRUT: Lebanese chanteuse Hiba Kawas performs during her May Day concert at the Casino du Liban on Friday evening. She was accompanied by musicians from the Lebanese national symphony orchestra under the baton of Karl Sollack and by Spanish guitarist and composer Jose Maria Gallardo Del Rey.
Sady Farah
French ambassador hosts party to celebrate Radio France 24 launch BEIRUT: The Ambassador of France in Lebanon HEAndre Parant hosted a cocktail reception at the Residence des Pins on Wednesday evening. The event was occasioned by the announcement that Radio France 24 has begun to broadcast 10 hours of Arabic-language programming a day. As you might expect, several hundred people turned out to join the ambassador and his guests – France 24 president Alain de Pouzilhac, France 24 director-general Christine Ockrent and France 24 Arabic service director Nahida Nakad – for the event. Not least among them were Solange Gemayel, Danyel Romania and Simar Turk.
Aries (Mar. 21 – April 19)
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
Gemini (May 21 – June 21)
There is some good career news coming your way. A job offer, a promotion or a significant raise in your operating budget will help you become more productive and prosperous.
You have a sudden feeling that you must be cautious about travel plans. Relatives may call up with schedule changes, or you may find that there are additional expenses of the minibar.
Talking to family and close friends may help you clear your mind about an investment decision. Listen carefully to all advice, but your first responsibility is to pay down credit card debt.
Cancer (June 22 – July 22)
Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22)
The best place to meet a new romantic partner is among friends and family. You will have a pleasant day because you are popular: Your personal energy is very attractive right now.
You have a breakthrough today involving a family member and their health issues. Keep up the supportthey may not react positively in every case but you are needed right now.
You will learn that there is serious equity in your home today. Family members may offer to help you out financially or give you gifts. If you feel you need advice, look to an older relative.
Radio is the theater of the mind; television is the theater of the mindless.
Francis Stephan, Patrice Begay and Joseph Abi Khalil
HOROSCOPE
Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22)
Just a thought
Michelle de Freij and Solange Gemayel
Kamel, Faida and Zeina Mehanna
Iranian, US films win top Tribeca awards Michelle Nichols
Maya and Andre Parant, Nahida Nakad, Alain de Pouzilhac and Christine Ockrent
Photos by Mahmoud Kheir
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Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) Communication will be easier today. Friends, loved ones and romantic partners seem to come together in more positive and loving ways. Everyone seems to be on the same page.
Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) You’ll have buckets of energy today, likely as a result of some activity you have planned. There is an opportunity for you to improve your personal status as a result of the people you know.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) You will have mixed luck financially today. This is an excellent day for longterm planning. Focus on structure, stability and security – and avoid any impulsive spending.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19)
Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18)
Pisces (Feb. 19 – Mar. 20)
You are incredibly attractive today, but pay attention only to those who are actually interested in what have to say. An interesting person with radical ideas could drift across your path.
You have an opportunity to attend a spa get-away that could be profoundly healing to your body and soul. You want to be surrounded in comfort today. Indulge.
If you are single, look to your circle of friends for opportunities to enhance your little black book. Your social opportunities are fantastic today, and you have a chance to make exciting new friends.