Beirut Art Residency
Beirut Art Residency (BAR) is an artist-run interdisciplinary residency based in Beirut, Lebanon.
History and Program
Beirut Art Residency (BAR) was founded in September 2015 by artist Amar A. Zahr. The space is constantly active, offering a six-week residency programme to as many as five artists at a time. After receiving the first residents, including Sara Naim, a Syrian photographer and visual artist, and Athier Mousawi, a British-Iraqi painter, Zahr had an inaugural show on October 27 to introduce guests to the residents and their artwork.[1]
The program strives to instigate dialogue between artists from all over the globe and from all disciplines including: Collaboration, Concept & Theory, Design, Experimental, Film & Video, Installation, Media Arts, Music & Sound, Performance, Photography, Printmaking, Research, Sculpture, Textile, Visual Arts, Writing.[2]
The artist-in-residence program aims to stimulate creativity through interaction with the local environment, artists and cultural institutions, and seeks to foster cross-cultural relations between participants and the local artistic community in Beirut.[3]
Residencies are typically removed from the city and isolated, so setting up the space in the middle of Beirut serves a different purpose. BAR aims to build their own community through interaction and engagement, providing a platform for communication and exchange between the invited artists and the Lebanese art scene.[4] With BAR’s relatively short-term program, more artists are able to benefit.
The BAR team is made up of artists of all backgrounds providing residents with a multi-lingual creative team to help adjust them to their new home.
The selection is made by the founder Amar A. Zahr and a jury made up of art patrons from the region including Canvas Magazine founder Ali Khadra, Syrian art collector Khaled Jalanbo, artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Tandemworks co-founder Alia Fattouh, Brownbook editor-at-large Natasha Stallard, Cultural Engineering Manager Lubna Mobied and Alserkal Avenue's Fiza Akram.[5]
BAR is located in Gemmayze, Beirut's bohemian quarter dotted with art galleries and cultural centers.[6]
Past residents
- Phase I (September - October 2015): Sara Naim Athier Mousawi
- Phase II (October - November 2015): Ivana Ivkovic Lucienne Bestall Pierre Dalpé
- Phase III (January - February 2016): Ibi Ibrahim Lara Ögel Evelyn Simons