logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
59m 22s

Curating an artist’s (and parent’s) biog...

AFIKRA
About this episode

*CHAPTERS*

0:00 - Introduction 

0:59 - Moving Biographies 

1:22 - Panellist introduction 

3:13 - Amine El Bacha’s estate 

10:25 - Visions for the estate and foundation 

16:46 - Paul Guiragossian’s estate 

25:22 - Saloua Raouda Choucair 

33:59 - Connected biographies & how involved were your parents in setting the visions for their foundations? 

39:36 - The mixed emotions of preserving your parent’s legacy 

42:04 - Beirut as an urban space and reimagining the city

47:12 - Pricing & selling masterpieces to fund this work  

1:00:45 - How do you organize yourselves?

 

****** ABOUT LAWHA ******‎

LAWHA (Lebanon’s Art World at Home and Abroad: Trajectories of artists and artworks in/from Lebanon since 1943) is a research project hosted by the Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB) of the Max Weber Foundation. LAWHA investigates the forces that have shaped the emergence of a professional field of art in Lebanon within its local, regional and global context. The project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 850760).

****** MOVING BIOGRAPHY ******‎

Moving Biography was a summer school organised by LAWHA/OIB, the American University of Beirut and the Global (De)Centre in 2022, generously funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. The summer school brought together different perspectives to question disciplinary assumptions and decentre life writing. These podcasts are an outcome of the summer school.

****** ABOUT AFIKRA ******‎

afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region - past, present, and future - through conversations driven by curiosity.

Up next
Sep 2023
Greta Naufal on Yvette Achkar | On Women By Women in Art
*CHAPTERS* 0:00 - Introduction 0:26 - Greta Naufal1:28 - Yvette Achkar2:27 - La peinture selon Yvette 3:03 - Comment Greta et Yvette se sont rencontrées 5:47 - Yvette avec les élèves 6:50 - L’art abstrait au Liban 7:52 - L’abstraction et l’expressionnisme abstrait d’Yvette 10:00 ... Show More
13m 35s
Oct 2023
Vulnerability and the Capacity for Life: Biography as a Material Matter | Moving
*CHAPTERS*0:00 - Introduction, Daniel 1:52 - What kind of history Daniel works on4:54 - Napoleon death day, writing a biography11:23 - What was your ultimate ‘entry point’ for writing this biography?16:27 - Art history and history and using images/paintings 30:24 - Materiality an ... Show More
1h 9m
Oct 2023
Afaf Zurayk on Helen Khal | On Women By Women in Art
*CHAPTERS*0:00 - Introduction 0:22 - Afaf Zurayk 1:11 - Helen Khal 2:08 - Afaf’s poem ‘Thoughts’ 2:37 - Afaf’s encounter with Helen 3:56 - Helen’s transparency 5:30 - Lightness and transparency in both Afaf and Helen’s work 6:51 - Lines and edges in Helen and Afaf’s work 9:37 - G ... Show More
16m 12s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 23
The Woman behind the Wheel - Vera Tamari
From her ceramic sculptures to her time teaching at Birzeit University, Vera Tamari’s work captures the deep ties between culture, resistance, and rootedness. A trailblazer in the Palestinian art scene, Vera was among the first women to exhibit contemporary art in Palestine and h ... Show More
50m 36s
Mar 2025
Inside the Islamic Arts Biennale | HE Rakan Altouq & Dr Julian Raby
In this episode of the afikra podcast, host Mikey Muhanna speaks with His Excellency Rakan Altouq – Vice Chair of the Diriyah Biennale Arts Foundation and Assistant Minister for Culture of Saudi Arabia – and Dr Julian Raby, one of the artistic directors of the Islamic Arts Bienna ... Show More
56m 37s
Feb 2025
Curating Art Shows at Jaou Tunis & Navigating Artistic & Cultural Politics | Taous Dahmani
In this episode of The afikra Podcast, host Mikey Muhanna chats with Dr Taous Dahmani, a London-based art historian, writer, and curator. She discusses her career, her ties to Tunis, and curating the exhibitions Unstable Point and Assembly at Jaou Tunis. She explores the socio-po ... Show More
50m 47s
Feb 2025
Exploring the Future of Art | Haytham Nawar on Diriyah Art Futures
In this episode of The afikra Podcast, host Mikey Muhanna talks to the director of Diriyah Art Futures, the MENA region’s first hub dedicated to New Media Arts, established by the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia. Haytham Nawar discusses DAF’s focus on the intersection between ... Show More
43m 18s
Mar 2025
On Lifting the Hijab Ban in Basketball, Growing Up Sudanese in Britain & Finding Home in Poetry | Asma Elbadawi at Quoz Arts Fest
We dive into the multifaceted life of Asma Elbadawi, a Sudanese British poet, photographer, basketball player, and activist. From her early struggles with dyslexia to lifting the hijab ban on women's basketball, Asma's story is one of perseverance and empowerment. We get an intim ... Show More
24m 7s
May 19
The Evolution and Impact of Saudi Art | Mohammed Hafiz of ATHR
We talk to Mohammed Hafiz, the founder of ATHR Gallery and Foundation, about his journey in the art world, the evolution of Saudi contemporary art, and the founding of ATHR Gallery and the Saudi Art Council. Hafiz shares personal stories from his first experiences with art, the c ... Show More
1h 1m
Jul 2024
Sonja Mejcher-Atassi | An Impossible Friendship: Group Portrait, Jerusalem Before & After 1948
This episode was recorded on July 10th, 2024.Check out Sonja's reading recommendations for Palestinian literature from the 20th Century 👉https://www.afikra.com/daftarjournal/sonja-mejcher-atassi-book-recommendationsAnd dive deeper into the history of the King David Hotel 👉https ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2024
Hala Auji et al., "The Arab Nahda as Popular Entertainment: Mass Culture and Modernity in the Middle East" (I. B. Tauris, 2023)
What was popular entertainment like for everyday Arab societies in Middle Eastern cities during the long nineteenth century? In what ways did café culture, theatre, illustrated periodicals, cinema, cabarets, and festivals serve as key forms of popular entertainment for Arabic-spe ... Show More
41m 24s
Jul 2024
My Mother’s Extraordinary Life in Beirut of the Late 50s & Early 60s | Venetia Porter
Venetia Porter is an Honorary Research Fellow at the British Museum. Formerly Curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art at the British Museum, her published titles include "Reflections: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa", "The Islamic World: A Hist ... Show More
54m 21s
Dec 2024
Dr Sohaira Siddiqui | Al-Mujadilah: Center & Mosque for Women
In this episode of the afikra podcast produced in collaboration with Qatar Foundation, we discover the impactful contributions and current challenges faced by Muslim women as Dr Sohaira Siddiqui discusses the vision and mission of the Al-Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women in Q ... Show More
58m 16s