Void is delighted to partner with the Beirut Art Residency (BAR) on the exhibition Before the Cypress Broke, a fundraising exhibition that was initiated in response to the recent catastrophic events that have taken place in Beirut, Lebanon.
Exhibiting Artists
Ali Cherri I Ayla Hibri I Charbel Haber I Daniele Genadry I Fiona Ones I Gregory Buchakjian & Valérie Cachard I Hussein Nassereddine I Jacques Vartabedian I Omar Khouri I Salah Missi I Sandrine Pelletier I Sirine Fattouh & Stéphanie Dadour I Ziad Antar
Bringing together works by contemporary Lebanese artists and past BAR artists-in-residence, the exhibition will combine works on paper, photography and video works depicting personal investigations of artists in relation to the city.
The title of the show refers to a poem by Palestinian poet and author Mahmoud Darwish entitled The Cypress Broke, in which the aftermath of an event is being questioned while life continues its course.
Responding to the escalating landscape of socio-political events, the works in the exhibition form a narrative of their own, reaching up to this year’s tipping point. Before the Cypress Broke explores the tensions, ruins, and monuments that characterise the country and have become definitive of the overall region throughout the past decades.
Since 2015, the Beirut Art Residency (BAR) is dedicated to supporting the production and dissemination of contemporary art through residencies, local exhibitions and public interventions. BAR has added profound vibrancy, sustainability and spotlight to the local art scene, creating bridges between the artists in Beirut and the global art community.
* The proceeds from the sales of works will go towards the participating artists and the BAR Support Fund
Void are delighted to be able to reopen to the public and this exhibition is now on display at our new location of 10 Waterloo Place, BT48 6BU. You can drop in – we have a range of health and safety protocols in place and we will be keeping visitors to a safe level at all times – however we are not taking bookings for groups of less than 6. If you would like to attend in a group of 6 or more you can book in by emailing us at hello@derryvoid.com or phoning us on +44 (0)28 7130 8080.
Before the Cypress Broke – curator’s talk with Void Director Mary Cremin and Directors from Beirut Art Residency (BAR) Nathalie Ackawi and Amar A Zahr
BAR Support Fund
The BAR Support Fund will provide local emerging artists with small grants in order to assist their production needs for 2021. The Support Fund will first and foremost enable emerging artists – including fine art students – to cover the costs of materials and logistics associated with art production and proliferation.
For more information please visit their website.
Download the gallery guide for the exhibition here:
Before The Cypress Broke gallery guide
Acknowledgements
Photo credit (on homepage): Ayla Hibri, Everlasting Massacre, 2018. Courtesy of the Artist
Void Gallery is supported using public funding from Arts Council Northern Ireland, Department for Communities, The National Lottery Community Fund, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Enkalon Foundation, Ragdoll Foundation, COVID 19 Charities Fund, the Arts Society, Art Fund, and Garfield Weston Foundation.
Void Gallery is also a member of the PlusTate network.
