REGIMES OF THE PERSONAL GHADA ZOUGHBY
REGIMES OF THE PERSONAL GHADA ZOUGHBY
MARCH 2016 B E I R U T, L E B A N O N
REGIMES OF THE PERSONAL : 13 Paintings by Ghada Zoughby In these thirteen works, Lebanese Artist Ghada Zoughby explores the link between private and public life through the image of the closet: the site in which we hide, organize or disguise our most intimate belongings and selves. Officer’s jackets which have been retired, outgrown toys, abandoned war paraphernalia, religious leaders and pop icons in which we have invested our libidinal and political energies populate Zoughby’s paintings, becoming markers of a hidden history of contemporary Lebanon. Following Deleuze and Guattari’s announcement that the ‘personal is political’, Zoughby’s exhibition reminds us that the way we systematize, protect or neglect our personal belongings reflects our most private selves, becoming a micro-political universe which bears on the choices we make and their effect on public life. Ameera Kawash Artspace Hamra
HIDDEN MEMORIES 100 x 80 cm Oil on Board 2015
THE BELT 140 x 100 cm Oil on Canvas 2014
THE HERO 130 x 80 cm Oil on Canvas 2015
THE OFFICER 108 x 64 cm Oil on Canvas 2014
A SOLDIER’S DECISION 150 x 120 cm Oil on Board 2016
HAIFA’S EFFECT 130 x 95 cm Oil on Canvas 2015
THE LONELY GUY 130 x 95 cm Oil on Canvas 2015
THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL BELT AND STICK 150 x 120 cm Oil on Board 2015
THE BOY HAS LANDED ALONE 150 x 120 cm Oil on Board 2016
STOP THE SAVIOR 195 x 130 cm Oil on Canvas 2014
OVERFLOW 150 x 120 cm Oil on Board 2015
RAOUCHE 150 x 120 cm Oil on Board 2015
REGIMES OF THE PERSONAL We see the world through ourselves, through the various personal perceptions of the things surrounding us and from this internalization to what lies beyond us. Perhaps the image we have of our surroundings is not formed from the outside in, but is the product of our legacies: the traditional, cultural and faith-based on one hand, and the components of our personality on the other. When this image is deformed (weak in the face of goodness, ugly in the face of evil) we must stop for a moment and search the self deeply in an attempt to find the origin of the image or its components. We are all involved members of communities governed by the contradictions of belonging, the antagonism of beliefs and the struggle for power‌ and so we are condemned to search for a formula to handle this mess. I stand in front of all this, and ask myself: "what have I done!" Here I begin a quest to the inner self, where the hidden is the most truthful, and speechlessness is strongest. In this self-depth I hope to find the reason for the poverty of our humanity. Perhaps it is worthwhile to look for the right mode of questioning before arriving at futile answers. In the “Regimes of the Personal,â€? I leave the doors open wide from the depths of the personal and intimate towards the public and common, in an attempt to understand the relationship between these two fields, hoping to reveal what lies hidden and thus begin to set up a productive question. Ghada Zoughby March 2016
أﻧﻈﻤﺔ اﻟﺸّ ﺨﴢ ﻧﺤﻦ ﻧﺮى اﻟﻌﺎمل ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼل ذاﺗﻨﺎ ،اﻧﻄﻼﻗﺎً ﻣﻦ ﻣﺪرﻛﺎﺗﻨﺎ اﻟﺸﺨﺼﻴّﺔ اﻟﻌﺪﻳﺪة ﻟﻸﺷﻴﺎء اﳌﺤﻴﻄﺔ ِﺑ َﻨﺎ وﻟﻌﻞ اﻟﺼﻮرة اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺮﺗ ّﺪ إﻟﻴﻨﺎ ﻋﻦ ﻣﺤﻴﻄﻨﺎ ﻟﻴﺴﺖ ﻣﺘﺸﻜﻠﺔ متﺎﻣﺎً ﻣﻦ اﻟﺨﺎرج ،ﺑﻞ ﻫﻲ وﻣﻨﻬﺎ اﱃ ﻣﺎ ﻫﻮ أﺑﻌﺪّ . ﻧﺘﺎج ﺗﻔﺎﻋﻞ ﺑني ﻣﻮروﺛﺎت وﻣﻜ ّﻮﻧﺎت اﳌﺠﺘﻤﻊ اﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴﺪﻳﺔ واﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻴﺔ واﻟﻌﻘﺎﺋﺪﻳﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺟﻬﺔ ،وﺑني ﻣﻜ ّﻮﻧﺎت ﺷﺨﺼﻴﺘﻨﺎ اﻟﺬاﺗﻴﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺟﻬﺔ أﺧﺮى. ﴩ ﺣني ﺗﺘﺸﻜﻞ ﻫﺬه اﻟﺼﻮرة ﻣﺸ ّﻮﻫﺔ وﺗﺼري ﻫﺸّ ﺔ ﰲ ﻣﻮاﺿﻊ اﻟﺨري وﻗﺒﻴﺤﺔ ﰲ ﻣﻮاﺿﻊ اﻟ ّ واﻟﺠﻬﻞ ،ﻻ ﺑﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺘﻮﻗﻒ ﺑﺮﻫﺔ واﻟﻌﻮدة اﱃ ﺧﺒﺎﻳﺎ اﻟﺬات ﺑﺤﺜﺎً ﻋﻦ أﺻﻞ اﻟﺼﻮرة أو ﻣﻜ ّﻮﻧﺎﺗﻬﺎ. ﻧﺤﻦ ﺟﻤﻴﻌﺎً ﻣﺘﻮ ّرﻃﻮن ﻛﺄﻓﺮاد ﰲ ﻣﺠﺘﻤﻌﺎت ﺗﺤﻜﻤﻬﺎ ﺗﻨﺎﻗﻀﺎت اﻻﻧﺘامء وﺗﻀﺎد اﻟﻌﻘﺎﺋﺪ واﻟﴫاع ﻋﲆ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﺔ ﻻ اﳌﻨﺎﻓﺴﺔ وﻣﺤﻜﻮﻣﻮن ﺑﺎﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﻋﻦ ﺻﻴﻐﺔ ﻹدارة ﻫﺬه اﻟﻔﻮﴇ. ّ أﻣﺎم ﻫﺬا ﻛﻠّﻪ أﻗﻒ وأﺳﺄل ﻧﻔﴘ":ﻣﺎذا ﻓﻌﻠﺖ؟" وﻫﺎ أﻧﺎ أﺑﺪأ رﺣﻠﺔ اﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﰲ ﻋﻤﻖ اﻟﺬات، ﺣﻴﺚ اﻟﺨﻔﺎء ،ﻷ ّن اﳌﺨﻔﻲ ﻫﻮ اﻷﺻﺪق واﻟﺼﺎﻣﺖ ﻫﻮ اﻷﻗﻮى. ﰲ ﻋﻤﻖ اﻟﺬات آﻣﻞ أن أﺟﺪ ﺳﺒﺐ اﻟﻨﻘﺺ اﻟﺤﺎﺻﻞ ﰲ إﻧﺴﺎﻧﻴﺘﻨﺎ .ﻓﻠﺮمبﺎ أوﱃ ِﺑ َﻨﺎ أن ﻧﺒﺤﺚ ﻋﻦ اﻟﺴﺆال اﻟﺼﺤﻴﺢ ﻗﺒﻞ اﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﻋﻦ أﺟﻮﺑﺔ ﻏري ﻣﺠﺪﻳﺔ. ﴩﻋﺔ ﺨﴢ" أﻓﺘﺢ أﺑﻮاب اﻟﺨﺰاﺋﻦ ﻣ ّ ﰲ ﻣﻌﺮﴈ " "Regimes of the Personalأو "أﻧﻈﻤﺔ اﻟﺸّ ّ ٓﻌﲇ أﻛﺸﻒ اﻟﺸﺨﴢ واﻟﺤﻤﻴﻢ ﻧﺤﻮ اﻟﻌﺎم واﳌﺸﱰك ﰲ ﻣﺤﺎوﻟﺔ ﻟﻔﻬﻢ اﻟﻌﻼﻗﺔ ﺑﻴﻨﻬام ﻟ ّ ﻷﻧﻄﻠﻖ ﻣﻦ أﻋامق ّ اﳌﺨﻔﻲ وأﺻ ّﻮب اﻟﺴﺆال. ﻏﺎدة زﻏﺒﻲ آذار ٢٠١٦
About the Artist Born in 1980 in the outskirts of Chmestar, Al Bekaa, Lebanon, Ghada Zoughby pursued her education and was encouraged by her parents who were considered open-minded at that time. Even though, she faced many obstacles as she struggled to pursue her dreams of a higher education, especially in fine art, her passion for art started to grow at a very young age and she won many school art prizes. As a teenager, Ghada showed a tendency to defy the patriarchal norms, first by choosing Karate as a sport and joining the Lebanese national team and winning many local and regional championships. At the age of 18, she decided to move to Beirut to enroll in an art teachers college. After graduating, she fought for years to obtain her father’s acceptance to keep her independent life. In 2005, Ghada attained her fine arts degree from the Lebanese Fine Art Instit ute in Beirut. Her career as a teacher, although secondary to her love for art, helped support her financially in the Lebanese environment of struggling artists. Her goal is to leave her mark in the Lebanese art realm. Ghada has no political, religious or social affiliation she aspires to support humans in their advancement with her art and refuses to adhere to geographic borders drawn on maps by violence and illegitimate leaders. She has particpated in several group shows including the following: -2014, group exhibition “Date with the Serail,” the Grand Serail,Beirut -2014 , group exhibition at "JABAL,” Le Gray hotel ,Beirut -2012, group exhibition at "Salon d'Automne,” Beirut Exhibition Center -2010 group exhibition at the Lebanese Institute of Fine Arts, 1st Branch -2005 group exhibition , “Salon "Art Inter," Verdun, France -2005 group exhibition "L'art au Saurezoix,” Saureze, France This is her first Solo Exhbition.
ARTSPACE HAMRA Artspace Hamra is an art gallery and multidisciplinary cultural space, promoting and supporting modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art. By conducting exhibitions, thematic residencies, art education and workshops, the organization aims to create an interactive and open platform for arts and culture. Our ambition is to initiate a dialogue between cultures and advance knowledge both locally and globally. Artspace Hamra is home to both a commercial art gallery and nonproďŹ t organization, which supports non-commercial art projects and events. This twofold approach allows our organization to broaden its engagement with the arts, creating a sustainable and uncompromising space for public interaction and cultural expression. Artspace Hamra is situated on the 6th oor above bustling Hamra Street, an airy and versatile space of over 300 sq. meters, with a bird's eye view of cosmopolitan Beirut. GALLERY Artspace Hamra showcases the work of emerging and established artists from Lebanon, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. While maintaining a broad regional focus, the gallery promotes art that is challenging and internationally relevant. Artspace Hamra regularly holds solo exhibitions as well as collaborates with curators and guest artists to present thematic shows and events. We represent a multi-generational group of artists working across a diverse range of media and approaches.
AR TSPACE HAMR A 6th Floor, Costa Cafe Bldg, Hamra St, Beirut, Lebanon T.: +961 1 736 516 - info@artspacehamra.com www.artspacehamra.com