2010 Recipients
Artist Marwan Sahmarani
Marwan Sahmarani was born in Lebanon in 1970 and currently lives and works in Beirut. With an archetypal biography specific to his generation, he left Lebanon in 1989 and moved to Paris to study at l’École Supérieur d’Art Graphique. After a seven-year hiatus from the art world, since 2002 he has held several group and solo exhibitions in Beirut, Dubai, Montreal, New York, Mexico and Ireland.
Sahmarani’s artwork is linked to his Middle Eastern origins. His oil paintings, drawings, ceramics and performative work are a reflection upon the mediums themselves in the face of socio-political problems. Sahmarani’s painting is tied to art history in general and inspired by themes that remain timeless, yet reflect current issues. In 2006, Beirut’s Fadi Mogabgab Contemporary Art Gallery hosted a mid-career retrospective of his works. In 2007, Dubai’s The Third Line invited him to show a series called Can you teach me how to fight? The paintings and drawings in this exhibition retrace battles that occurred between the 10th and 14th centuries in the Middle East, a prophetic and timely reminder of the cyclic history of violence in a region where invasion is a constant self-perpetuating reality.
Sahmarani has been included in auctions at Sotheby’s, London (2008-09).
Art Dubai - Contemporary Art fair Dubai 2008 © 2007