How has the modern and contemporary Lebanese art scene evolved over the past seven decades, from the post-WWII period and the upheavals of civil war and exile to the economic and health crisis today, and which are the young artists to watch whom you believe have the greatest potential?
Lebanon is a country in perpetual reconstruction, and the current artistic scene is part of this long history: bearers of wounds and hopes, artists of all generations and all exiles participate in the same cathartic and universal narrative. They tell the story of a country with multiple rebirths, of a people so close to us. Talented and combative, the artistic scene bears witness to these violent realities without being a reportage: transcribed according to each artist, it transcends each singular story to offer a universal message, with a striking return to painting, among other techniques. I am impressed by the strength of the new painting, expressive and almost expressionist. Without ever falling into literal description or pathos, it reveals a great maturity even among very young painters. Let us mention for example Anas Albraehe, Ayman Baalbaki, Hanibal Srouji, Yazan Halwani, Marwan Sahmarani, Serwan Baran, Tagreed Darghouth, Hala Ezzedine, Khaled Takreti and Marc Guiragossian.
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