The taxi driver and myself were circling around the deserted international fairgrounds in Tripoli, lost, in spite of instructions from Ismael Sheikh Hassan, a volunteer coordinating various initiatives within the Nahr el-Bared Reconstruction Commission for Civil Action and Studies (or the NBRC). The NBRC was housed in the UNRWA’s offices, at the back edge of […]
Often associated with processes of healing, postwar re-construction projects may be less related to the pre-destruction phase than to the actual act of destruction. This, at least, is what the Lebanese case suggests. In this essay, we argue that the spatial erasure initiated by war destruction is consolidated during postwar reconstruction. We developed this argument by […]
In an observation about the city of London – as part of the ‘Urban Age’ initiative, the sociologist, writer and academic Richard Sennett noted that: We need to better understand how to legitimise certain forms of conflict. We can only assume that we have the ability to resolve conflict, to get rid of conflict as […]
This edition of the gallery examines the works of artist Abbas Akhavan from various critical perspectives that delineate between capitalist processes of production and social interventions while examining the role of architecture and space in shaping an artwork’s impact on audiences. Dina Ibrahim’s essay departs from where the previous virtual gallery landed – the use […]
How much did it cost? What’s it worth? Ah the familiar prods we proffer and are asked everyday about the value of things. True, this is just one measure of value – the monetary one, the one we write with numbers not letters, in a myriad of currencies convertible on xe.com. By adding a single […]
It is innocuous to assume that Abbas Akhavan’s process of art making directly implicates the space of the exhibition. However, as much as it is redolent that the architectural materials, including the gallery wall or the room’s physical interior, often constitute the very medium of his work, it is somewhat misleading to explain Akhavan’s use […]
Abbas Akhavan’s works enact broader social conditions while simultaneously expanding the purview for actions indexed by the architecture of the piece. His site-specific installations and videos delve into the social realm to produce or recreate meaning, and in a larger sense reality. From this perspective, the dynamic and performative aspect of his work operates […]
‘Study for a Garden’ (2012) A site-specific installation at the Delfina Foundation,London, UK. Born in Tehran, Abbas Akhavan currently lives and works in Toronto. His practice ranges from site-specific ephemeral installations to drawing, video and performance. For the past five years, the domestic sphere has been an ongoing area of research in Akhavan’s work. Earlier […]
This resource manual offers readers a brief overview of online platforms and print sources relevant to understanding residencies and the social, cultural and political contexts in which they function. International conferences and symposia have assembled to tighten networks of institutions, and web-based platforms have started to disseminate audio and video recordings as well as written reflections […]
Architectural Psychology Babak Golkar’s concept-driven artistic practice extends effortlessly across diverse medium, ranging from drawing, video, sculpture and site-specific installation while maintaining focus in its subjects and issues addressed. His work primarily explores the psychological effects on the observer resulting from the use of architecture. Golkar sees architectural structures as psychological spaces, not just physical […]