The Art of Conflict: The rise and rise of post-war Lebanese contemporary art

This paper examines the conditions of Contemporary art production in Lebanon, triggered by two distinct historical events: firstly, the Civil War that spanned from 1975 till 1990, and secondly the October 2019 revolution. These events act as catalysts for art production, inspiring generations of artists, creatives, and thinkers, allowing them to produce period-specific art in Lebanon and the region. What is primordial to note, here, is that these two events had almost contradictory outcomes: the first provided artists with the unique opportunity to reflect and critique a peculiar reality, while the second inspired a whole population to express its collective frustration and imagination. In order to explore the previous statements, the following research question is the central focus of this narrative: How did contemporary art evolve simultaneously with historical events in Lebanon from 1940 to 2020? Could the paradigm shift in collective expression provide a new argument in favor of the exclusivity and agency of art production in the country? It seems likely that, after the recent succession of political and cultural happenings in the country, we are arriving at a place where Art is unconsciously becoming an instrument for all. In order to answer this research question, the adopted methodology will consist of a three-dimensional approach that will comprise the following: Firstly, I shall research the importance and relevance of art as a tool for social and political critique, and its role in society as an agent of expression and change in accordance with the overruling paradigm of each historical period. Then, I shall compare the Lebanese population’s status quo with the evolution of a primordial public space – Martyr’s Square – that clearly mirrors contextual Political and Artistic circumstances of respective times. Lastly, I shall select and analyze relevant pieces of contemporary art that clearly critique and respond to these previously mentioned periods, demonstrating how historical happenings have generated specific artistic styles and methods that are strongly vernacular and expressive. This methodological approach shall be the base of three emphatic arguments points.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Science