Gulf News published Channeling 'anger into art', artists in Beirut process blast on 7 October 2020, a Reuters picture feature from Beirut Year Zero, an exhibition staged two months after the explosion at the city's port. The report explains that the show filled Arthaus, a heritage building in Gemmayzeh that had been the family home of Nabil Debs and was about to open as a boutique hotel when the blast destroyed its facade, roof and balconies. After clearing the rubble, Debs, one of the exhibition's curators, opened its halls to visitors.
Beirut Year Zero brought together more than 100 works of painting, installation and sculpture by some 60 mostly Lebanese and Arab artists reflecting on the explosion, with proceeds supporting the artists and the Lebanese Red Cross, which had been at the forefront of rescue and relief. Debs tells Reuters that many artists' studios were destroyed, as the blast hit Gemmayzeh, a neighbourhood known for its galleries, especially hard, and describes how anger at the political and economic crisis was transformed into "an art front." The closing image shows visitors looking at artworks by Ayman Baalbaki and Tagreed Darghouth, noting that the exhibition would run until 14 October before around 30 works travelled to London for auction at Christie's.
Tagreed Darghouth is a Lebanese painter whose work examines war, structural violence and their effect on everyday life. She is represented by Tabari, where her solo exhibitions have included Gardens and Jungles in 2023.
