Beirut Art Fair 2017 | Our highlights

This year again, Beirut Art Fair proved itself to be a leading platform for the discovery of new artists, trends, galleries, institutions, and publications from the ME.NA.SA., thus representing a principal catalyst for artistic development of the region.

As a perfect hybrid between Eastern and Western cultures, Beirut Art Fair acts a real catalyst, bringing together professionals and art lovers from the region and from around the world.

Our number one highlight from the 2017 edition of Beirut Art Fair is definitely Hafez Gallery. The Jeddah based art space visually converses with contemporary art, while also offering a platform to young Saudi artists to emphasise a new wave of Saudi visual identity. Khalid Zahid and Ali Chaaban, both represented by Hafez at the fair, have been favourites of JDEED for a long time with their pop inspired pieces that convey meaningful messages in an uber fresh way. Khalid’s Amal doll attempts to shed light on the rights of women in Saudi Arabia, specifically the possibility of driving – which as we were typing, became a reality. Meanwhile, Ali’s Broken Dream 2, uses a silkscreen technique on top of a Persian rug, which expresses the contrast between the traditional carpets present in most Arab households with the pop culture that Ali was exposed to as a kid. Superheroes versus the reality of adulthood appear to Ali as a “broken dream.”