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4 December, 2021 to 9 January, 2022

Lost In The Right Direction

“If you know the story of AD Leb, you will appreciate how personal this is for me as I strive to continue what my daughter Gaïa started and to keep her memory alive. Imagining AD Leb as a gallery without walls exemplified Gaïa’s spirit of innovation and openness; she dreamed of bringing together artists and designers from Lebanon and around the world, and to showcase and support their work.”

Annie Vartivarian, Director of Art Design Lebanon

The exhibition’s title – Lost in the right direction – is a quote drawn from Gaïa Fodoulian’s Instagram page. An emerging designer herself, Gaïa developed the idea for AD Leb in early 2020 before her untimely death following the Beirut port explosion of 4 August that year. At the end of another turbulent year for Lebanon, this show offers a chance to connect and instigates a vital dialogue around the purpose and hope that can be found in creativity.

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Drop by drop
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Future was a year ago, Block R35.5992068 ,33.8562688( 01)

“For Lost in the Right Direction, the seventeen exhibited works have been crafted in relation to Deir El Kalaa, and in return, they take possession of its landscape. Their mere presence draws attention and significance back to the site, and their positioning makes the archaeology readable again. They highlight the main amenities of the ancient town: its streets, houses, baths, its church, olive presses, and shops. They underline its structures and make them accessible to a new audience. The artworks, and the various themes they encompass, resonate with the history of the site and the major events witnessed by the territory.”

Hala Younes, Architect and Scenographer of the exibition.

About Deir El Kalaa

AD Lebanon’s exhibition Lost in the right direction takes place in the residential area to the east of the main road leading to the Baal Marcod temple, where the remains of a Byzantine settlement with its streets, boutiques, homes, and a bath have been unearthed during the 1960s. This rural settlement flourished between the 4th and the 6th century AD. Reminiscent of the period are the remains of a Byzantine church with its colourful mosaic floor depicting early Christian symbols and several oil presses testifying to the industrial nature of the site as a representation of the type of economy that this rural settlement relied upon. During the eighteenth century, a Maronite monastery was built at the site over the front part of Baal Marcod temple in addition to a church dedicated to St. John. The monastery and the church are still under the Antonine Maronite order today.

Despite its rich history, knowledge of Deir El Kalaa’s significance has been eroded over the years and there is relatively little information available to the public. By installing an exhibition of contemporary art, design, and craft, hosting artisanal workshops, and offering guided tours at Deir El Kalaa, AD Lebanon seeks to transmit the importance of this heritage site for the people of Lebanon. The exhibition, therefore, celebrates Lebanon’s cultural heritage and strives to reinvigorate a space which was historically designed for community, celebration, and faith.

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Envelope for a Byzantine mosaic
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A few decent ways to drown 1
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Olivia bench

Press

Exibart December 27, 2021

In Libano, un sito archeologico ospita una mostra d’arte contemporanea

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The National News December 27, 2021

Lebanon art show at Beit Meri’s Roman ruins portrays tragedy in a delicate way

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L’Orient Le Jour December 27, 2021

Perdus dans la bonne direction à Deir el-Qalaa, entre vestiges et créations artistiques…

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