INTERVIEW WITH WINNING ARTIST OF THE 2010 ABRAAJ CAPITAL ART PRIZE, 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).

Laura Trelford (LT): Your paintings can be seen as an extension of the canon of painterly practice from the western Renaissance. What effect, if any, does living in a contemporary society, especially one within the Middle East, have on your work?

Marwan Sahmarani (MS): It is perhaps true that my paintings can be seen as an extension of painterly practice from the western Renaissance; that is mainly because of my western education. I studied in Europe where eastern culture, more specifically eastern painting, is largely occult by that education. The reason I am now living in the Middle East is to rebalance this and connect with my non-western roots. But to be more accurate, living in Lebanon is in a way like living in between these two cultures. It is therefore a good compromise for me in my artistic journey. In this country I can still feel the influence of eastern culture. I could add it is not only about east and west; but also north and south. Specially when practicing painting, there are a lot of elements that living in the south can affect one’s work; such as lighting, colours, forms etc…which are very nourishing and innovative for me.

LT: Do specific historical events form the subject matter of your paintings, or do you intend them to be perceived as undefined in their context, reminiscent of a sensibility that is timeless and universal?

MS: I think everything is circular, you can easily relate historical events of our contemporary time to a larger universal history. In my work, I try to be less specific about precise events and to relate more to something that is timeless. Of course I am inspired by the context I am living in, but as a painter I try to avoid a journalistic approach to a subject. This has always been the case in painting. A strong painting is a painting that is timeless but still  connected to the period. That is my feeling. For example, a still life painting of a dead fish is so relevant to our time, you don’t have to look further than that for more violent and accurate pictures, and yet it remains universal and still related to the history of art.

LT: Much of what you explore in your work is quite gritty and violent. Do you view yourself as a realist painter?

MS: I think my work is related to existence itself; life, death, sexuality, violence, religion….these themes are still timeless and universal.

LT: You have shared with us images of you at work in your studio. How does this space, where you work alone, often through the night, define your practice?

MS: My studio is like my sanctuary. First, I rarely receive visitors in it. It is a very personal, organic space for me. It is always changing and helping me develop as an artist. I try to keep it as a very inspiring place, where each small detail or form within it can have an effect on me and my work.

LT: Explain how the commission by the Abraaj Capital Art Prize has given you the possibility of working on a larger scale and in a more ambitious way when it comes to the display of your work. Is this the first time we will see your paintings and drawings in a three-dimensional context?

MS: In the past, I have always been conscious of creating a kind of scenography within my work, where different media interact with each other in a three-dimensional context. And maybe now with this commission and all the means that are given to me, I have more latitude to display the work as I have always visualised it in the past. Especially when it comes to working on a larger scale, I feel as though I’ve been functioning like the old masters when they were commissioned to create monumental paintings. It is an excellent opportunity to do this as an artist and to see where I stand alongside the great painters I admire.

 
Marwan Sahmarani ,The Possessed,
oil on canvas, 60x40cm, 2008		   Marwan Sahmarani, Man with Tarbouche
- oil on canvas, 60x80cm, 2009

LT: Talk to me about your thoughts on new media such as film, which you do not commonly work in and yet over the past few years has become the dominant medium explored by artists in your native Beirut.

MS: Yes it is true, I do not commonly work with it and I am a little bit reluctant with new media such as film. But don’t misunderstand me - I love cinema. I like the structure  of a film: the ways in which a director can transmit a poetic fiction to the spectator. However, sometimes I am disturbed by the narration of some filmmakers in the contemporary scene, not only in Beirut. I feel the medium itself looses its authenticity, and is being used for other means. It becomes very talkative, functioning as a channel to promote a certain moral stance. I am perhaps very traditional when it comes to art. It is important for me that each medium is contextualised within the broader history of art.


Website Design Agency - Webheads Interactive