Four Videos by Lamia Joreige

Visual artist and filmmaker Lamia Joreige uses archival documents and fictitious elements to reflect on the relation between individual stories and collective history. Her work explores the possibilities of representing the Lebanese wars and its aftermath, using Beirut as the centre of her imagery.

Four videos by Lamia Joreige are on view at Delfina Foundation, from 23 November to 4 December 2009.

Works

Replay Bis (2002, 9min, video and super 8)
The starting point of Replay Bis is the idea of rupture in a time and place that are undefined. The story, which might have been experienced or dreamt, is repeated in various formats. Images appear as reminiscences of the past as well as attempts to reconstruct a narrative.

Here and Perhaps Elsewhere (2003, 54min, video)
Countless individuals disappeared during the Lebanese civil war. In most cases, the bodies were never found and the circumstances of their disappearance unknown. Traveling through Beirut and asking the inhabitants one same question “Do you know of anyone who was kidnapped here during the war?”, Lamia Joreige attempts to trigger the process of memory and reveal the multiplicity of existing discourses on the war.

A Journey (2006, 41min, video)
A Journey follows Lamia’s grandmother Rose, as her personal story meets the collective history of the Middle East. Aternating documents, interviews and voice over, A Journey triggers a reflection on history and the conflict in this region, as well as exploring notions of time, disappearance and loss.

Nights and Days (2007, 17min, video)
Nights and Days recounts a personal view of the summer 2006 experience of the war using filmed and written notes. The film questions the relationship between image and sound and explores notions of ‘beauty’ and ‘horror’.

Biography

Lamia Joreige is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Beirut, Lebanon. She has shown her work internationally including the 52nd Venice Biennale, ICP New-York, and Modern Art Oxford. In 2009, she co-founded the Beirut Art Centre, a non-profit association, space and platform dedicated to contemporary art in Lebanon.

ON-THE-SIDE CONTENT