Art Show: From Lebanon to Long Beach
Supported by a grant from the Arts Council for Long Beach, this art exhibition showed in April 2023 and explored concepts pertaining to observed similarities and sociopolitical phenomenon between Lebanon and Long Beach via interactive art installations, photographed painting, and photography.
"redlining" photo series
Photographed by Kelsey Bryan-Zwick
This series juxtaposes the act of receiving henna with the topic of redlining, a form of institutional, policy-based segregation that excludes marginalized groups from residential areas, usually more affluent or suburban. On one hand, we see district lines from Long Beach overlaid for compositional purposes; on the other, we see lines from districts of Beirut. As we see the city develop, we see districts experience redlining. I chose to paint this and utilize henna on my hands because it is traditional to Lebanese weddings; yet as we continue to assimilate to Western wedding traditions, this becomes practiced less frequently. This series was completed over the course of an afternoon in healing creative company with Kelsey, who helped me to photograph and document every stage of the process.
"in transit"
Installation: Long Beach cart, plaster casts of faces and hands, CAT6 cables, assorted candles, dried flowers, acrylic on loose canvas, bubble wrap, tulle, lace, paper lanterns, bottles, paint water in mason jar, lamp, twine, rope cord, fairy lights, mirror.
This one-time only installation intends to pay homage to the fluctuation of community in cities, as neighbors move in and out of areas due to rising living costs and gentrification. The cart, utilized frequently as an assistive option for groceries and necessities while in transit, carries items which are white— the color for loss/mourning in the religion I grew up with. Lanterns, candles, and dried flowers have been used in various cultures as means of expressing this. The cables, twine and rope symbolize the threads that connect us, as we see these manipulated by some of the hands. And yet, the path forged in these connections, however fleeting, is vibrant—as demonstrated by the multicolored canvas.
"masking idenities" i and ii
Photographed body paint.
Here, I attempted to combine elements of the flag of Lebanon with that of California—you can see the cedar tree on my nose, an impression of the bear and its ground on my neck, and stars floating in white, red stripes here and there, which belong to both. It is intended to be childish, abstract, a little clownish, even. Reaching for two different identities and attempting to claim them, attempting to feel comfortable in them, and in my own skin—I am from Lebanon, but I have never lived there. I am not native to California, but I have lived here for a while. The series photo reflects this process with both.
"a house by the sea" i - v
Photography by Sven Ellirand @idiedatbirth
This series developed from a request to collaborate by giving a new project a new start. After a couple of years in our families’ respective growth journeys, Sven met with me alongside a road to help me pursue this impulse to start fresh creatively. The intention was to use this discarded doll house as a starting point to create an abstract “dream home-“ a house made of dreams discarded and those we still hold onto. Here is an attempt to embark on a dance of grief—an expression for those loved and lost, dancing in their honor (II, III) —as well as prayers made (I), painting and priming of the house (IV) and carrying the house on one’s back like a turtle, a home in perpetual transit (V). This was a joy and a release! Sven and Maya are always very supportive and intuitive with the collaborative process, and I am grateful for their kinship in community.
"dream house"
Wooden doll house, acrylic paint.
I invited participants to make their mark on the doll house that was used for the photo series in collaboration with photographer Sven Ellirand. Attendees each left some kind of painting on the house, changing its face throughout the week.
This reminded me of an open mic from my early days in the creative scene, where people were invited to leave their mark on an open canvas throughout the evening. It was nice to have something from my roots present in the show.
This doll house is a found object, discarded on the side of the road and cleaned up. While I had intended, and still intend, to create an abstract dream house with it, it will always have a mark from people I love, and from my community.
"protect mother nature," "leave no trace"
“Protect Mother Nature”
Photographed body paint.
This photograph depicts the subject’s torso, upon which is painted an abstract depiction of a mountain landscape with wildflowers, in reference to similar geographical climates between Lebanon and California, as well as the superbloom. Red hands indicate a warning to the environmental dangers present, and the positioning reflects a typical pose in photographing someone pregnant and expecting.
“Leave No Trace”
Photograph by Phoebe Camilletti @synaesthetic__
When we met, I was in preparation for this exhibit, working on completing the body paintings I had hoped to include. This one is an abstract interpretation of wildflowers dotting the mountains, in superbloom. Both places echo mountains, waterfalls, similar geographical climate.
As we were about to leave, I asked Phoebe to help me capture this moment; of body as canvas, of body of the earth as canvas. Of butterflies as symbols of transformation, left there by others. Of red hands held over the face in grief, in warning, in mourning. Of a reminder that we are close to the point of no return, and if we want to continue to enjoy the flowers, and the waterfalls, and our relationship with adorning the rocks we love to climb and admire with the art we are inspired to create, we have to act quickly. We have to move past any sense of hopeless desperation in the vastness of it; trying is better than giving up, covering our faces in despair, choosing to not look. We had only just met that day! But Phoebe jumped right into our collaboration as naturally as anything, and it was a true release moment.
"bathtub marina" interactive installation
Paper boats, water.
I invited viewers to make a paper boat with me, and then let it set sail, where they eventually sunk into the water, joining a gradual graveyard of several others. For this, participants had an option of choosing between two thicknesses of paper, as an allegory for the amount of resources that one may have had access to impacting their ability to navigate a crisis. Both Long Beach and Beirut are port cities, dealing to some extent in imports/exports. This installation is a commentary on the economic crisis affecting both.
"altar of memory"
Photos, photo album.
I printed various photos I had taken over the years of Lebanon and Long Beach, as well as Southern California. I did not indicate which photos were of which places-- the idea was that if you squint, you would have a hard time discerning between the two general areas.
I invited viewers to pick a photo that spoke to them, write a letter to a memory of a place, and to place it in the photo album.
By the end of the show, I had a full album, with unique contributions from most of the attendees. Some people had written letters, one a postcard, one a poem, and so on.
apARTment gallery layout, materials
Here are some photos of the gallery layout. In lieu of printed captions by the work, I composed and assembled print packets of captions for viewers to use as an accompaniment. I designed two flyers, posted and distributed them around town; I also made an eventbrite and drafted press releases.
