16 TTHHEE DDAAIILLYY SSTTAARR monday, february 14, 2011ARTS & CULTURE

AGENDALEBANON

THEATER

‘Vessels’Theater Monnot, Monnot Street,AchrafiehUntil Feb. 20, call for times01-202-422Sawsan Bou Khaled’s playdeals with the problems of lan-guage between a man and awoman, both trying to findmeaning in their existence. InEnglish, with Arabic subtitles.

MUSIC

‘Joumana Mdawar’Allegria, Jeita roundabout, JeitaFeb. 14, 10:30 p.m.03-941-571/03-682-100The legendary Lebanese singerJoumana Mdawar performswith accompaniment by MarcAbou Naoum.

‘Habaneras, Milongas, Tangos’American University of Beirut,Assembly Hall, Bliss Street,HamraFeb. 17, 8 p.m.05-464-120In collaboration with the Cer-vantes Institute and the Embassyof Uruguay in Lebanon, theSpanish Embassy invites you toa piano recital by Uruguayanpianist Polly Ferman.

FILM

‘The Trial of Oscar Wilde’Beirut Art Center, off Cornichean Nahr, Jisr al-Wati.Feb. 18, 8 p.m.01-397-018Part of the BAC’s event“Expecting the Images,” Chris-tian Merlhiot presents his cine-matographic work dealing withthe Arabic translation of the tri-al of Oscar Wilde, a trial inwhich the author was accusedof gross indecency. In Frenchwith English subtitles.

ART

‘The Architect’s Head’Q Contemporary, Beirut Tower,Ground floor, Zeitoune Street,DowntownUntil March 3, call for times03-300-520An installation by the Frenchsculptor and architect Guil-laume Credoz.

‘Image Works’Beirut Art Center, Jisr al-Wati,Off Corniche an-NahrUntil April 15, call for times01-397-018In partnership with the Goethe-Institut Lebanon, German artistand filmmaker Harun Farockipresents this solo exhibition onhis major video installationsand recent productions.

‘Interior Lights’Alice Mogabgab Gallery,Achrafieh Street, Karam Build-ing, AchrafiehFeb. 22 to March 17, call fortimes01-204-984Born in Saida, Lulu Baassiriexhibits her collection of pastelson velvet canvases in whichsunflowers, pigeons and rosesare her main painted subjects.

‘Sculptures and paintings’Mark Hachem Gallery, Sal-loum Street, Mina al-HosnUntil Feb. 20, 11 a.m.01-999-313Syrian artist Adam Sabhanexhibits paintings and sculp-tures dealing with the amalga-mation of chaos and order.

‘In the Trenches’The Running Horse, KarantinaUntil March 26, call for times01-562-778An exhibition by three youngLebanese talents: Rasha Kahil,Hiba Kalache and Alfred Tarazi.

REVIEW

Out of suffering have emerged thestrongest souls; the most massivecharacters are seared with scars.

Khalil Gibran(1883-1931)

Lebanese-American artist, poetand writer

JJuusstt aa tthhoouugghhtt

By Ali EttehadSpecial to The Daily Star

TEHRAN: In “Nightmare onElm Street,” American directorWes Craven introduced FreddyKrueger, an awful character

who feeds on fear. Only by consuminghis victims’ fear does Freddy find thestrength to trap and kill them. InCraven’s film, the victims’ fear makesthem complicit in the antagonist’sghoulish behavior, who then makestheir fear a hundred times worse.A similar principle appears to be at

work in “There is a charge for the eye-ing of my scars” at Tehran’s Silk RoadGallery. Comprised of 11 self portraitsand a video work, this solo exhibition byNikoo Tarkhani suggests that anyonewho agrees to old rules and traditions –or takes part in or agrees to live withintheir framework – supplies the fuel forthe giant machine that, with all its love-ly or horrible aspects, devours him.Tarkhani’s paintings portray the

artist in a floral world in which seem-ingly harmless little birds peck at herlimbs and body, at times appearing tobe tearing at her veins like worms fromthe soil.For about four centuries, renderings

of flowers and birds were a familiarmotif in Iranian traditional painting.Such images have connoted domestic-ity, safety and redemption.In “There is a charge for the eyeing

of my scars,” these motifs are a sym-bol of tradition. The contemporaryartist (who comes from a traditionalbackground) here suggests that, inspite of their enchanting appearance,some parts of tradition leave deadlywounds upon the body of every singleaspect of the community.The irony at work here is especial-

ly poignant for those who live this kindof life and who are closely attached tothe motifs Tarkhani wields here.Faced with the brutal activity of those

little birds, the artist appears passive, asif her neutral attitude were a way ofpreparing herself for scarification. This juxtaposition of this artist pas-

sivity, on one hand, and the violencebeing done (by a creature associatedwith security in traditional Iranian art)has a provocative impact on theinformed spectator.Tarkhani’s works – both “There is a

charge for the eyeing of my scars” and“This is not a woman,” her 2008 series– have three common characteristics. First, Tarkhani’s work all uses, and

somehow displaces, collective memo-ry, which makes it paradoxical andsurprising to the spectator.Second, all of these works deal with

the body. The nude self-portraits thatcomprised “This is not a woman” andthe wounded bodies in “There is acharge for the eyeing of my scars” usea common vocabulary. Third, Tarkhani’s works all have a

common autobiographical quality. In both her paintings and her video

and digital works, Tarkhani shows theaudience her personal affairs as a sam-ple of social experience.While the new work makes use of

the classical motifs of birds and flow-ers, “This is not a woman” utilized

blue tiles. These not only reflect a memory of

classical Persian architecture. Theyalso refer to the artist’s personal mem-ories of the bathroom in her childhoodhome – the place that for years borewitness to her routine nudity.In this new series each and every

wound is a symbol of the artist’s per-sonal experience of tradition. In thisway, Tarkhani’s work uses a commonformal codex.Tarkhani’s performance video

“Metamorphoses” is a thematic com-plement of the canvases, and may beseen to be a solution for the predica-ment they frame. The first episode of atrilogy called “Song of songs,” thework centers on a close up of the artist’sface, framed with long black hair.Apparently staring into the exhibi-

tion hall, the artist slowly and calmlypeels doll-like, plastic skin off herface. Blood rushes from beneath thelayer of superficial skin to the accom-paniment of her breathing and otheraudio effects. Having scratched and peeled-off

her skin before the camera, Tarkhanishows us her bloodied, newly exposedskin. After some moments of staring,as if mesmerized, into the camera lens,a teardrop emerges from the corner ofher eye and makes a trail down herfresh, bloody flesh.It is as if, by peeling-off her doll-

like skin, and allowing fresh cells togrow, the artist is demonstrating thatshe’d prefer to put an end to thosewounds that don’t kill and leave onlya scar. A new human emerges from theprevious cocoon, one whose scarify-ing ceremony will attract new birdsand more peeling.”There is a charge, for the eyeing ofmy scars,” an exhibition of video andpaintings by Nikoo Tarkhani is up atTehran’s Silk Road Gallery.

Reveries Orientales The Little Soldier of Smyrna

BEIRUT: Gerard Avedissian’s creation “Le petit soldat de Smyrne” (The little soldierof Smyrna) (100 x 70 cm, mixed media), is part of his exhibition “Reveries Orien-tales: Nouvelles Creations” at Souk An-Najjarin in Saifi Village. The show is up untilMarch 12.

Image courtesy of Souk An Najjarin

Major treasuresstolen fromEgypt’s museumBy Riad Abu AwadAgence France Presse

CAIRO: Several ancient treasureswere stolen from the Egyptian Muse-um, including a statue of KingTutankhamun, when looters broke induring the uprising that toppled Hos-ni Mubarak, authorities said Sunday.The pieces include a gilded wood-

en statue showing the boy pharaohbeing carried by a goddess and partsof another statue of him harpooningfish, said Minister of State for Antiq-uities Zahi Hawass.Looters broke into the museum in

Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Jan. 28 whenanti-Mubarak protesters drove hisdespised police from the streets in aseries of clashes and torched an adja-cent ruling party building.Museum director Tarek al-Awadi

said looters went on a rampage, shat-tering 13 display cases and at least 70artifacts. He added that curators werestill carrying out an inventory to deter-mine the extent of the losses.The missing pieces include a lime-

stone statue of Pharaoh Akhenatenholding an offering table, a statue ofQueen Nefertiti making offerings anda sandstone head of a princess fromAmarna, a vast archaeological site incentral Egypt.Also missing were a stone statuette

of a scribe from Amarna and 11 wood-en shabti statuettes of Yuya, a power-ful courtier from the time of the 18thDynasty, which ruled along the banksof the Nile more than 3,000 years ago.Awadi added that a heart scarab – an

amulet placed on the chest of the mum-my to ensure the heart was not removed– belonging to Yuya was also missing.Soldiers outside the museum Sun-

day were tight-lipped about thealleged theft. A lieutenant colonelwho declined to give his name saidonly: “Two or three things werestolen, little things like rings.”Troops have arrested two or three

suspects and were searching for others,the officer said, adding that the lootershad broken in through a window.Founded in 1858 by French Egyp-

tologist Auguste Mariette, the muse-um contains more than 100,000 arti-facts, including the world renowned –and reputedly cursed – treasures fromTutankhamun’s tomb.The best known artifact is

Tutankhamun’s gold funerary mask,which stares out from a case on the firstfloor of the museum. The 18th dynastymonarch, better known as King Tut,ruled Egypt in the 13th century BC.In his statement, Hawass said an

investigation has been launched tofind those behind the theft, adding that“the police and army plan to follow upwith the criminals already in custody.”The museum standing on the main

protest square was protected by armytanks and briefly by a cordon of citizenvolunteers during 18 days of anti-gov-ernment rallies that ousted Mubarak.The theft recalls the even more dis-

astrous looting of Baghdad’s NationalMuseum in April 2003 following theU.S. invasion to overthrow SaddamHussein, when thieves stole thousandsof pieces and smashed several others.

TEHRAN: Iran’s official newsagency says the judiciary has set up aspecial prosecutor’s office for offens-es related to media and culture.The move signaled new restrictions

on journalists and artists, many ofwhom supported widespread protestsagainst the re-election of PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.Irna news agency said Sunday the

new department would operate underTehran’s chief prosecutor and that aspecial court would also be established.The 2009 protests erupted after

Ahmadinejad was re-elected in a voteopposition members say was marredby massive fraud. Authorities prose-cuted many journalists, bloggers andfilmmakers on security charges relat-ed to the post-election turmoil. – AP

One of the Tutankhamun statues.

Iran sets up officeto handle media,culture offenses

NEW YORK: A New York Universityprofessor says the tiny camera insert-ed into the back of his head for a year-long art project has been temporarilyremoved due to a risk of infection.In the meantime, Wafaa Bilal says

he will wear it around his neck. Theinteractive piece beams images to awebsite and a Persian Gulf museum.The Iraqi-born artist teaches at

NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Hehad minor surgery last Friday toremove one of the posts holding thecamera to his head because his bodywas rejecting it.He hopes the wound will heal

quickly so he can reattach the camera.The art piece was commissioned bythe Mathaf: Arab Museum of ModernArt in Doha, Qatar. – AP

Iraqi artist’s body rejects Doha implant

By Sarah ShardAgence France Presse

PARIS: The Orient has long held a fas-cination for Westerners, conjuring upexotic images from historic landswhere few travelers ventured beforethe advent of trains and steamboats.As a child in the 1950s French cou-

turier Christian Lacroix recalls theinscription on a monument in the portof Marseilles, “Gateway to the East”was enough to fire his imagination andlater inspire his designs.Now “L’Orient des Femmes”

(Women in Orient), an exhibition atQuai Branly Museum in Paris, whichhe has helped curate, celebrates orien-tal women through some 150 exam-ples of their traditional costumes, withtheir lavish embroidery and vibrantcolors, from northern Syria to theSinai peninsula.

Curator Hana Chidiac, herselfLebanese, told AFP they deliberatelyavoided city dress, too influenced bythe Ottoman Empire, and concentrat-ed on rural women and bedouin, whoin the early 20th century were stillwearing the clothes of their ancestors.Embroidery goes back to the earli-

est antiquity. One of the most moving exhibits is

the dress of a 13th-century girl, whosemummified body was found in aLebanese cave, with its bib necklineand sleeves in red cross stitch.It was a skill transmitted down the

generations from mother to daughter.Almost as soon as a girl could hold aneedle they would work together onher trousseau, which could contain asmany as 13 richly stitched dresses aswell as belts, veils and headdresses,even make-up pouches.Examples of dowry chests are scat-

tered through the exhibition and caneven be opened for closer scrutiny.

The quality of the wedding dresswas almost as important as the beautyof the bride.Every village had its own distinc-

tive styles and motifs, which were asource of local pride. Some, likeRamallah and Beit Dajan, becamewell known hubs, while Bethlehemwas the acknowledged fashion capital.Colors were significant too. Indigo

and black were believed to ward offthe evil eye, even protect against scor-pions, while red was credited withboosting fertility.Styles varied enormously from

region to region.Jordan was particularly rich in

diversity and originality. In the northwomen wore black satin dressesembellished with bright embroidery,while in the far south they favoredvivid silk and headbands covered intightly-sewn silver coins. In the area of the ancient cities of

Al-Salt and Kerak, there was a puz-zling fashion for outsize dresses asmuch as 3.5 meters in length.An old black-and-white film of a

woman dressing resolves the enigma,showing how the excess material isfolded up and secured round the waistwith a belt, forming an outer skirt thatdoubles as a handy carrier and caneven be transformed into a nattypapoose for carrying a baby.Jordan’s Queen Rania still wears

traditional costume to help keep italive, says Chidiac.Most of the exhibits in the show are

from the early part of the 20th centu-ry, when the materials used were most-ly cotton and linen and garments werehand-embroidered with silk thread.Today’s equivalents, Chidiac notes,

made in synthetics with machineembroidery, are a poor second.“When I was growing up in

Lebanon,” she continued, “my fatherused to take me to choose material fora frock and then a seamstress wouldmake it up for me. I used to complainand ask why I couldn’t have a ready-made dress like my classmates. Howwrong I was! I’d love to have thatchoice now.”The exhibition is open until May 15.

Exploring the traditionsof Oriental dress

Embroidery was a skilltransmitted frommother to daughter

The wounds are deadlyNikoo Tarkhani’s mixedmedia work is a visceralconfrontation with themotifs of tradition

One of Tarkhani’s untitled canvases.

From Tarkhani’s performance video “Metamorphoses.”