50 REVIEW a curious ensemble For its third edition, the Beirut Art Fair showcased 40 galleries from 13 countries – its largest ever number to date. Myrna Ayad reports on the highs and lows. A lot of tension, fuelled by the cataclysmic events in neigh- bouring Syria, inevitably spilled over to Lebanon and marked the weeks leading up to the third in- carnation of the Beirut Art Fair (BAF, renamed from MENASART). And yet, despite random skirmishes in the Lebanese capital and beyond, a 72-hour nationwide Internet blackout, the notable absence of wealthy Gulf tourists (due to travel bans to Leba- non placed by their governments) and frequent tyre-burning on major roads in protest at the country’s chronic power cuts, the Lebanese pro- pensity for resilience always seems to kick in. Time and again, the nation’s inhabitants have proved the adage ‘the show must go on’ – a spirit conveyed by French-born BAF Manager, Laure d’Hauteville, who asserts that “Lebanon is my country too”. Many of her adopted country’s compatriots share her determination to put BAF on the art fair map: “When the Saudi government warns its citi- zens against coming [to Beirut], but a gallery from the Kingdom [Athr Gallery of Jeddah] participates at the fair, this is a good sign,” noted Lebanese art collector Abraham Karabajakian. “In years to come, people will appreciate what’s being shown here.” Renowned dealer Saleh Barakat of Beirut’s Agial Art Gallery is also a staunch backer of art ini- tiatives in Beirut: “If there’s an art fair project here, how can I not support it? BAF is making a major effort to support the scene and it deserves our reciprocation.”Yet despite such positive commen- tary, there were many who didn’t have faith in the fair’s timing (July), nor in its curatorial scope and the quality of the art on show; some even went so far as to wonder whether the region needed another art fair. “But BAF shows art that can’t be shown in the Gulf,” added Pascal Odille, the fair’s Artistic Director. Not that there was anything near an abundance of risqué artworks on show. There were, however, works by Andy Warhol, Sam Francis and Antoni Tàpies – probably the first time that pieces by these masters were ex- hibited in Beirut. None were sold. The Warhol, a 1980 portrait of Las Vegas philanthropist Barbara Molasky at Galeria Cordeiros from Portugal, was priced at $15 million. Interestingly, an edition of the same silkscreen was sold at Sotheby’s in 2008 for $283,000. Lebanese visitors, dressed to the nines on the fair’s opening night, marvelled at the ‘presence of a Warhol in Beirut’ but many were dismayed with the inclusion of design galleries exhibiting alongside those that show Contempo- rary (and Modern) visual art. It was, by any stand- ard, an awkward marriage between two genres which ought to stand their own ground. If art and design are to be exhibited successfully under one roof, such ventures demand the highest qual- ity and a foolproof curatorial vision – sadly, this wasn’t the case at BAF. “They’ve brought in fur- niture which brings down the quality of the fair,” commented Yasaman Matinfar of Tehran’s Azad Art Gallery. Facing page, above: Andy Warhol. Portrait of Barbara Molasky . 1980. Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas. 101.6 x 101.6 cm. Image courtesy Cordeiros Galeria, Porto. Below: A view of Correspondences curated by Catherine David and featuring an artistic dialogue comprised of letters and works on paper between Syrian artist Marwan and Saudi writer Abdul Rahman Munif. Photography by Myrna Ayad. 51 Musk and Amber Lifestyle Concept Store from Tunisia showcased jewellery by Marie Munier alongside works by Mo- roccan artist Hassan Hajjaj; Christina Debs Fine Art and Jewel- lery presented prints on foam board by little-known Lebanese photographers next to jewellery. Yes, there was jewellery – in glass vitrines, velvet cushions et al. “Sure, I don’t think the design and jewellery placed at the fair is a good idea,” commented Ka- rabajakian. “One’s eye is trained to look at art, not jewellery and design at an art fair.” Odille, however, felt otherwise, adding that “There’s a great dynamism between art and design and I think it’s working pretty well [here].” PLuSES AND MINuSES BAF took place from 5-8 July, with no ‘private’ vernissage, which many had assumed would occur on 4 July. However, the Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Centre (BIEL), where the fair has been held since its inception, “could not offer BAF an additional day,” said Odille. And so, an estimated 4500 visitors attended the fair’s opening, officially inaugurated by the Lebanese Minister of Culture, HE Gaby Layoun. Such a large turnout was due to the fact that fair organisers had distributed invitations by the dozen to pretty much everybody who was anybody. More air-kissing than sales dominated the opening, but nota- ble deals included pieces by Ayman Baalbaki, Tagreed Darghouth and Baya at Agial, whose booth was solely dedicated to works on paper by Modern and Contemporary Arab artists. At new par- ticipating gallery Sabrina Amrani from Madrid, a neon work by Algerian artist Zoulikha Bouabdellah was snapped up for $8700 on opening night. “It was instant love,” said Sabrina Amrani of the Lebanese collector who acquired Bouabdellah’s Two Lovers . The young gallery’s roster boasts an impressive line-up of emerging artists from the MENASA region, including Waqas Khan, uBIK and Amina Benbouchta, all of whose works were shown at BAF. A trio of elephants in the room by Lebanese artist Nadim Karam trum- peted to the tune of $1 million at Ayyam; the metal works were still on reserve at the time of press. The booths of Agial, Sabrina Amrani, Ayyam and Art Sawa were among the best on show in terms of display and curatorial vision. Credit is also to be given for the impressive Correspondences – a space curated by Catherine David, and which showcased an artistic dialogue comprising works on paper and letters be- tween Syrian artist Marwan and Saudi writer Abdul Rahman Mu- nif. It was a shame that Correspondences was tucked away into a rather obscure corner of the fair; the exhibition was neverthe- less supplemented by a panel discussion between David, Mar- wan and political commentator and historian Fawwaz Traboulsi. Attendance at the talk was reasonable, but much better than at other panel discussions, which were either poorly attended or cancelled without notice due to almost negligible attendance – such was the case for Pakistani artist Simeen Farhat, who had flown in specifically to give a talk. Two of Farhat’s wall pieces “There is a lot of interest in the works, but I haven’t come across any seasoned collectors.” Camilla Chaudhary 52 sold for between $8-10,000 to Lebanese collec- tors through Karachi-based ArtChowk. “There is a lot of interest in the works, but I haven’t come across any seasoned collectors,” said the gallery’s Camilla Chaudhary. This statement was further augmented by Siham Derradji of Paris’s Galerie Trait Noir, which exhibited a curious mix of pieces: photographs by Moroccan Mohamed El-Baz and one work on paper each by Sam Francis, Sol LeWitt and Joan Miró (the latter was just Miró’s signature in colourful crayon). “The fair needs more rigorous curation, it’s too uneven and it’s at a confused lev- el,” noted Derradji, who, along with fellow dealers, was also annoyed with the fair’s overall standard of finish. While the booth walls were painted in white, blotches of paint permanently stained the grey car- peting – not a good look by any standards. Lighting was also meagre and another point of contention was BIEL’s parking policy (about $3) and Internet fees ($230) – the irony was the country’s Internet blackout for most of the fair’s duration. There was also the curious case of live Lebanese rap music, which, coupled with loud sound testing done on BIEL grounds for an impending concert, posed a serious threat to works hanging on vibrating walls. GREY SKIES Amazingly, Lebanon’s political situation did not faze foreign participating gallerists or museum representatives either – Venetia Porter of the British Museum and Jessica Morgan of the Tate were in attendance at BAF. Interestingly, the fair’s selection committee does not include any Lebanese nationals – an issue raised by some local dealers – but which is intentional on the organisers’ part. “We really wanted an external committee,” asserts d’Hauteville, “and didn’t want any dealers from within either.” While BAF operates an art collectors circle compris- ing “100 collectors, of which 80 per cent are Lebanese”, d’Hauteville’s sole requirement of this group is to serve as ambassadors of the fair “and for each member to bring in about four collectors”. For its fourth edition in 2013, BAF will take place in September so as not to clash with the Holy Month of Ramadan. D’Hauteville intends dedicating a “real corner” for design galleries and maintaining the “boutique nature” of BAF. Hopefully other sections of the next instalment will be allotted spaces and avoid getting diluted Above, left: Zoulikha Bouabdellah. Mirage I . 2011. Steel and car paint. 193 x 193 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery, Madrid. Right: Nadim Karam. The Elephant Family . 2012. Super shiny mirror and stainless steel. Ranging from 300-70 cm. Image courtesy the artist. REVIEW “The fair needs more rigorous curation, it’s too uneven and it’s at a confused level.” Siham Derradji or lost between gallery booths, as was the case with Odille’s This is Not a Wonderland, a curated exhibition of monumental art; The Comics Cor- ner of original comics from the MENASA region; and From Street Art to VJing: The Urban Creation of Beirut, which featured graffiti art by young Lebanese artists. With any luck, September 2013 will bring better days to the region’s political arena. “Given the political situation, this edition was a success,” noted Chaudhary. Perhaps bet- ter organisation, a tighter curatorial strategy and a calmer political climate will help strengthen BAF’s fourth edition. For more information visit www.menasart-fair.com