Art Galleries Flourish in Beirut’s Port Blast Area Despite Lebanon’s Economic Crisis
BEIRUT—Art galleries are booming in Gemmayze and Mar Mikhaël, two neighbourhoods that were devasted by the 2020 Beirut port blast.
Art lovers who run some of the galleries do not mind that some of the interest is because art is considered one of the few safe places to invest money in a country where many people cannot access their bank savings.
“Nowadays, collecting art has become a trend, especially among the new class of rich people who believe that owning art pieces is a sign of elitism,” Rania Hammoud, who has a new three-floor gallery called Art Scene in Gemmayze, told Al-Fanar Media.
She added: “After the port explosion and despite the economic crisis, people have become even more thirsty for beauty and art. You feel they are eager to enjoy life regardless of the hardships. They want to live! They don’t want to die while breathing.”
Hammoud, an interior architect and artist, opened her new gallery a few months ago. Her space is one of many that have mushroomed in Gemmayze and adjacent Mar Mikhaël.
“After the port explosion and despite the economic crisis, people have become even more thirsty for beauty and art. You feel they are eager to enjoy life regardless of the hardships. They want to live!”
Rania Hammoud, proprietor of the Art Scene gallery in Gemmayze.
For Hammoud, running a gallery gives her a duty to educate people about art. She has a reading corner where visitors can go through art books left at their disposal.
“A gallery is not a mere business. It is a place where one can learn about art. I have groups of young people visiting the gallery asking questions about the paintings. They are eager to immerse in art amid the ugly time we are living,” she said.
Celebrating Art Amid Chaos
Charbel Lahoud, a longtime art collector and owner of Chaos Art Gallery, said he opened the space five months ago because “art brings the best out of people” and “to draw them closer together to socialise and appreciate beauty.”
“In Lebanon, we live in chaos and from this chaos we make beautiful art. Because of their chaotic life and daily routine, Lebanese artists are producing beautiful art which is the end product of a chaotic life,” Lahoud said.
He added that the surge in the number of new galleries is mainly because people who can afford it are increasingly buying art pieces as a safe investment in a country where bank savings have become largely inaccessible due to the country’s financial crisis.
“Art is a good way to invest your money. Besides, we have a lot of talent that needs space to get public exposure. … Think of me as being crazy, opening during this crisis, but Beirut will never die. That is why we have to be in Beirut,” Lahoud said.
Focusing on Lebanese Identity
Local artists continuously engage in exhibitions around Beirut focusing on Lebanese cultural identity, the ongoing hardships and the port explosion that reshaped the country.
“Art is a good way to invest your money. Besides, we have a lot of talent that needs space to get public exposure. … Think of me as being crazy, opening during this crisis, but Beirut will never die. That is why we have to be in Beirut.”
Charbel Lahoud, a longtime art collector and owner of Chaos Art Gallery
In their view, the Lebanese people need a cultural foundation for national pride and cultural understanding, away from political arguing and sectarian divisions. They regard art as an educational and social requirement for future generations.
Zeid El Amine, who holds degrees in business administration and fine arts from the Lebanese American University, opened his Août Gallery in Gemmayze shortly after the port explosion that devastated parts of Beirut on August 4, 2020. His father was among the more than 215 people killed.
“I decided to locate around the port area and called the gallery Août (August) for a personal, painful reason,” El Amine said. “Also, it is partly to revive the cultural landscape in Gemmayze and Mar Mikhaël after the blast and a way to have a cultural dialogue between Beirut and the rest of the world.”
El Amine opened a second gallery space in Mar Mikhaël last year where he exhibits the work of international artists, mostly from Asia and the United States. International collectors and Lebanese expatriates constitute the bulk of his clientele.
“More people are investing in art, a trend that encouraged the opening of many galleries, especially in Mar Mikhaël and Gemmayze, which became symbolic areas after the blast,” he added.
Art as a Safe Investment
More than 50 art galleries have started operating in Beirut in the last few years, raising questions about the viability of such endeavours in a country in full crisis, an art curator who asked to remain anonymous told Al-Fanar Media.
“I believe there are two main reasons for this flurry in art galleries,” the curator said. “For sure there is money laundering through art, and another reason is that many people at the beginning of the crisis sought to save part of their savings by investing in art.”
“I decided to locate around the port area and called the gallery Août (August) for a personal, painful reason. Also, it is partly to revive the cultural landscape in Gemmayze and Mar Mikhaël after the blast and a way to have a cultural dialogue between Beirut and the rest of the world.”
Zeid El Amine, whose father was among those killed in the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020
“Those who did not have enough money to invest in real estate or gold could afford paintings. This has encouraged the opening of galleries by a new breed of people, business people who have no real knowledge of art … they just want to sell and make a profit.”
However, the proliferation of art galleries has provided greater opportunity for young and emerging local artists.
“These artists had no space to expose their work,” said the curator who spoke anonymously. “The few elite galleries that monopolized the market would only showcase well-known, established artists. So now there is a demand for new galleries.”
Encouraging Young Artists
Sana Jaber, an artist and owner of Escape Gallery, opened the space four months ago in Achrafieh, another neighbourhood heavily damaged in the 2020 blast, to promote art and encourage young artists.
“We have to persevere. Anyone who can do something positive in this country should not hesitate. We can’t stay idle waiting for what might happen tomorrow” Jaber said.
Her gallery hosts an open exhibition for arts students who have graduated from universities across Lebanon.
“This is a way to encourage new artists to develop their art and keep working. Many are compelled to work in different fields to make a living, so they neglect their artistic talent despite spending four years studying art at the university,” Jaber added.
Today, art is a thriving business on a mission to reinforce Lebanon’s identity as a cultural hub.
“The more new galleries we have, the better it is,” said Hammoud. “It would be beautiful if Lebanon became the art centre of the Middle East. So let us export art and beauty instead of drugs!”
Related Reading
- In Lebanon’s Economic Crisis, Nearly Every Student Has to Work to Pay Tuition
- Beirut Blast Cripples an Educational and Cultural Capital
- Beirut Blast: A Map of the Damage to Educational and Cultural Institutions
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