July 23.09 - October 3.09 Opening reception: Wednesday July 22, from 7pm to 10pm
About the exhibition
Prisoner Of War gathers a body of works that systematically aestheticize the war. The exhibited work appropriates the most iconographic, or widely known, artworks from renowned contemporary Lebanese and Arab artists in fabulated visual constructions. The project aims to question and challenge this new generation's unyielding contextual practices in tackling issues of war, identity and memory, and attempts to further highlight an inability to operate or exist outside these aesthetic parameters. Artists are seemingly condemned to remain classified - within the Western laboratory conducted by curators and institutions - as Arab, Middle Eastern or regional artists. The Prisoner Of War becomes a prisoner of this fabricated context.
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Biography
BERNARD KHOURY
Bernard Khoury studied architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design (B.F.A 1990 / B.Arch 1991). He received a Masters in Architectural Studies from Harvard University (M.Arch 1993). In 2001, he was awarded the honorable mention of the Borromini prize given to architects under 40 years of age by the municipality of Rome. In 2004, he was awarded the Architecture + Award. He was a visiting professor at the Ecole polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and has lectured and exhibited his work in prestigious academic institutions in Europe and the U.S including a solo show of his work given by the International Forum for Contemporary Architecture at the Aedes gallery in Berlin (2003). His work has been extensively published by the professional press. Khoury started an independent practice in 1993. Over the past 16 years, his office has developed an international reputation and a significant diverse portfolio of projects both locally and abroad.
