As I was wandering his atelier, Simon begins to describe with precision and a gleaming passion, the details of the work of his fellow artists. He knows the story of each one vividly. Simon has immense admiration for the unique talent of each.
My mother Hilda passed away recently after 14 years of living with dialysis for polycystic kidney disease, an inherited condition. Hilda 69 died in the middle of the pandemic and in a Beirut half destroyed by the gigantic blast at the port on
Mirella Salameh, aka ella is a unique artist whose work was acclaimed for its powerful, yet fragile intimacy, where the nurture concept is very present and palpable, as it gently takes us back to a foetus position, where humans nurture each other as
Fostering the cult of homosexuality and its ambiguity, Montmartre always fascinated me with its theatres and cabaret, its surroundings, the streets of Pigalle and the showcases of all the sex shops. Coming from a conservative background, this sense of freedom and danger was
The artist Charbel Samuel Aoun opened his home and his woodland to the “New Eastern Politics” Arts and Culture contributor, Christiane Waked to talk about how nature transformed his art into poetry. As I entered his home, Charbel greeted me with a warm
In order to see the bigger picture, one must clearly put things into their context. To apprehend Hezbollah issue, we must first understand, that Hezbollah is neither Iranian nor Palestinian but Lebanese. Hezbollah leaders, members and followers are Lebanese citizens with rights and
In September, one of Beirut most visited gallery “392rmeil393″ displayed the work of Georges Yazbek, a Lebanese photographer and documentary producer based in New York and Beirut. Under the title ” Moments Within”, the exhibition showcased raw photos of landscapes of Alaska as
Alireza Shojaian invited our Arts and Culture contributor, Christiane Waked to his studio to discuss what it is like to be an Iranian painter in Beirut. C.W: Through your paintings, we feel like you belong to another space, dimension or even century. Do
The one-legged man artist Semaan Khawam invited our Arts and Culture contributor, Christiane Waked to his studio to talk about what freedom sounds like to a “birdman”. As I enter his messy studio, the shabby artist welcomes me, cigarette in his mouth, glass
From Annaba, Algeria, Adel Bentoussi, reaches out to “The New Eastern Politics” Arts and Culture contributor, Christiane Waked and reveals why his art is meant to disturb. C.W: Who are you really? A.B: My name is Adel Bentounsi, I live in Algeria in