Beirut Art Center


Beirut Art Center is a space for exhibiting contemporary art in Beirut, Lebanon
WWW beirutartcenter.org𝕏 beirutartcenter

History

Beirut Art Center opened to public in January 2009. It is managed as a non-profit organization whose founders and executive board members were Sandra Dagher, Lamia Joreige, Nathalie Khoury, Rabih Mroué and Maria Ousseimi The project roots in the growing interest to local contemporary art. It was an initiative of Sandra Dagher, who previously curated a private art space, Espace SD, and Lamia Joreige, visual artist. In 2007, Sandra Dagher curated with Saleh Barakat, owner of Agial Art Gallery in Beirut, the first Lebanese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
In 2011, New York City's New Museum hosted “Museum as Hub: Beirut Art Center” a project that includes an exhibition, the presentation of Beirut Art Center’s Médiathèque, and a series of events.
After co-founders Sandra Dagher and Lamia Joreige have been in charge of the BAC for five years, Marie Muracciole was appointed in February 2014 to take its direction for a five-years mandate. In 2019, Rana Nasser-Eddin was named administrative director and two artists, Haig Aivazian and Ahmad Ghossein were appointed artistic directors. In January 2023, Reem Shadid was appointed as director.

Building

The BAC opened in Jisr el Wati, an industrial area on the banks of Beirut River. The building was refurbished by architect Raed Abillama from a factory into a white cube space. The 1500 sq m space occupied 2 floors. The ground floor included the main exhibition space, a book store and an auditorium. The first floor included a secondary exhibition space, a médiathèque, a cafe with a terrasse, and the administrative offices. In 2019, Beirut Art Center moved into a new location, in the same neighborhood, occupying two floors in a warehouse building.

Exhibitions

2019
2018
2017
  • Sharjah Biennial 13. Tamawuj: an unpredictable expression of human potential
  • Photography at Work. Allan Sekula
  • Falling is not extending, Falling is collapsing, Marwa Arsianos,
  • On Becoming Two, Tony Chakar, .
  • A Chapter of Synonyms, Rana ElNemr,.
2016
2015
  • Exposure 7 – Mobility, with Yasmin Hage-Meany, Sandra Iché, Eshan Rafi, Mahmoud Safadi, Merve Unsal,.
  • Aftercinema, with Kamal Aljafari, La Ribot, Jumana Manna,.
  • Unfinished Conversation, around Stuart Hall with John Akomfrah, Penny Siopis, Zineb Sedira,.
2014
  • Breath is a Sculpture. Giuseppe Penone
  • Contre Nature. Kader Attia
  • Meeting Points 7. Beirut: Ten Thousand Wiles and a Hundred Thousand Tricks
  • Afteratlas
2013
2012
2011
  • Exposure 2011
  • The Beirut Experience
  • Be...longing. Fouad Elkoury
  • Image in the Aftermath
  • Meeting Points 6. Locus Agonistes: Practices and Logics of the Civic
  • IMAGE WORKS. Harun Farocki
  • Drawing with the Things Themselves. Paola Yacoub
2010
2009

BAC Design

BAC Design was a program dedicated to local industrial and product design.
2013
  • Fly Bird Fly by Dar Onboz
2012
  • Biomechania by Ranya Sarakbi
  • Contemporary Perspectives in Middle Eastern Crafts. BAC design Exhibition by Carwan Gallery with Karen Chekerdjian, Khalid Shafar, Lindsey Adelman, Marc Baroud, Studio mischer'traxler, Nada Debs, Oeuffice, Paul Loebach, Philippe Malouin, Tamer Nakisci
  • Street Art Bag by Sarah's Bag
  • Pathways by Nada Zeineh
  • Custom Miles by Azzi & Osta
  • All that is reminiscent of her name by Krikor Jabotian
  • The Creative Space
2011
  • Beirut Rock Center. By Spockdesign - Karim Chaya
  • Beirutkon. Anastasia Nysten, Carlo Massoud, Joelle Achkar, Marc Dibeh
  • Seeds. A BAC design exhibition by Nathalie Khayat
  • STARCH your summer. An exhibition by STARCH designers 2008-2009-2010
  • The Order of Angels. by Hoda and Elias Baroudi
  • Who's living on the 13th floor?. An Exhibition of Ceramics by Mary-Lynn Massoud and Racha Nawam
2010
  • Capturing Culture. by Rana Salam