October 21, 2009 – January 16, 2010
Opening reception: Tuesday October 20, from 6pm to 9pm
Naji Al-Ali Untitled. Ayreen Anastas & René Gabri case sensitive america. Ziad Antar New York Perimé. Joseph Beuys I like America and America likes Me. Wafaa Bilal The Night of Bush Capturing: Virtual Jihadi. William Eggleston Dust Bells 1. Mounir Fatmi Out of History. Jenny Holzer Handprint. An-My Lê Events Ashore. Matt McCormick future so bright: Motor Hotel. Julia Meltzer & David Thorne In Possession of a Picture. Melik Ohanian Invisible Film. Catherine Opie Untitled (Wall Street). Greta Pratt Using History. Martha Rosler If It’s Too Bad to Be True, It Could Be ‘DISINFORMATION’. Kara Walker “Testimony: Narrative of a Negress Burdened by Good Intentions”.
About the exhibition
Beirut Art Center’s exhibition America is an attempt to question the United States of America a possible model of civilization. What does “America” mean in our collective unconscious?
Certainly, America is a superpower and occupies a predominant position in the world. Its actions and its policies consistently demand that others position themselves in relation to them, whether in agreement, opposition or somewhere in between, stirring as much feelings of fascination and respect as exasperation and resentment.
As this is especially true in our region, where America’s policies and strategies have often been divisive and destabilizing, we believe it is relevant to take a closer look at the physical and mental territory named America through an exhibition and a series of events.
Neither an accusation nor a celebration, the purpose of the exhibition is to reflect on the mythologies that have built and perpetuated the idea of America and to consider the ways in which America has been both imagined and imaged by Americans and non-Americans alike.
The exhibition features sixteen works by artists of different nationalities and backgrounds, living inside and outside of the United States.
Whether they focus on people, urban environment or natural landscape, whether they dwell on pivotal historical moments or mundane ones, all these works reflect on aspects of American cultural, social and political life that have become of universal relevance.
with the support of:
Heinrich Böll Foundation
Ford Foundation
GIFCO – Ghorayeb International Freight for Order