Ziad Abillama
B. 1969, Lebanon
Ziad Abillama pursued his studies in visual arts and physics at Amherst College and Rhode Island School of Design in the United States.
Within him, there is a sense of challenge that resonates with the anxieties of the Lebanese people. He strives to celebrate his artwork while acknowledging its specific and relevant connection to the Lebanese experience.
According to the artist, politics has permeated numerous aspects of life, captivating the Lebanese society. It becomes challenging to envision alternatives when one desires to take action or gain control over their own life.
Abillama's work has been showcased in various notable exhibitions at renowned galleries and museums, including the MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts, the Agial Art Gallery, and the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011.
About his Work
Ziad Abillama's painted aluminum installations, similar to his earlier installations and interventions, embody a continuous process of "unlearning" his privileges. One of his untitled sculptures is a sleek Minimalist signpost featuring five arrows pointing in all directions, indicating "Arabes." This piece probes his own position of privilege as a descendant of local princes and an unwitting member of a right-wing, francophone Christian family. It is worth noting that Abillama is widely recognized for revitalizing the Beirut art scene after an earlier war in 1992.
The installation serves as a bold archive of ideological events that have unfolded in Beirut since 2006. Art becomes a challenge to the political and religious boundaries that currently confine it. This challenge is initiated by subverting the conventional understanding of art as an object and instead celebrating the possibilities of language.
In the artist’s word: “I demand an alternative to the conceptual which is nothing but sublimed advertising.”
Ziad Abillama
Arabes, 2011
Metal
Loan from the artist