BEYROUTH, LE MONDE
In this series, artist Claude Moufarege depicts the rooftops and abstract topography of Beirut, a city which represents both her sense of belonging and exile. Having spent her childhood in Beirut, leaving and returning multiple times, Moufarege renders the city through a cool architectural lens and a cartographic distance that give her urban scenes a quiet and contemplative aspect. Having studied and practiced architecture, Moufarege learned to conceive of space, draw it, construct and ultimately fill it. Though architecture may have taught her to fill the void with structures, as a city populated by buildings and peoples, the artist continues to search for emptiness in between the structures, the pauses and ellipses that connect episodes of her nomadic life. Painting always from a high vantage point, Moufarege shows us the city as a tight rope walker balancing on a fine line between leaving and returning, rediscovery and farewell.
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PARTIR Oil on canvas 102 x 76 cm 2014
SILENCE Oil on canvas 46 x 61 cm 2013
Born in Dakar in 1951, Claude Moufarege spent her early years in Senegal before returning with her family to Lebanon in 1960. In 1976, she received her diploma in Architecture from 'ESIB' amidst the bombardment and instability of the Civil War. She then moved to Paris where she began her architectural career, working at several firms, such as Dar el Handasah, Viguier-Jodry and Calatrava. Moufarage decided to rediscover her first love, which was painting. She attended workshops and ateliers of prominent artists, working with David Drey in the UK and Michele Goalard in Paris. She has since exhibited her work worldwide, such as at the Musee Robert Mouawad in Lebanon, Galerie Artitude in Paris, and at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition in London. "Beyrouth, Le Monde," her first solo exhibition at Artspace Hamra, will be held from December 7, 2016 to January 7, 2017.
DE LA LUMIĂˆRE Oil on canvas 130 x 195 cm 2016
FRONT COVER
LES GRUES Oil on canvas 146 x 97 cm 2016
Beyrouth, Le Monde AN EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS BY
Claude Moufarege
6th Floor, Costa Cafe Bldg, Hamra St, Beirut, Lebanon gallery@artspacehamra.com www.artspacehamra.com T +961 1 736 516 M +961 71 309 116
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LES YEUX DE LA VILLE Oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm 2016
TOIT ROUGE 1 Oil on canvas 46 x 61 cm 2012