BAR – Open Studios

Join BAR for the Open Studios of Lara Ogel, Ibi Ibrahim and Evelyn Simons showcasing the works-in-progress they have created during their six week residency at BAR.

A brief momentum, confined in time and space
An opportunity for concentrated immersion in this new context
Wandering the streets, encountering people, witnessing diverse atmospheres
Scraping the surface of an identity we’re unfamiliar with

This transposition of our daily lives to undiscovered territory
demands for thorough and systematic exploration
Though it’s the distractions that shape our experiences
That reconfirm our personal interpretation of reality
The discovery as a catalyst for reassuring our own identity

The city unfolds through sensory involvement
A composition of different languages, rolling waves and the lingering melody of a widely admired iconic voice
The melancholic testimonials of destruction embedded in the urban landscape

Familiarizing up to the point were we’re faced with frontiers
Physically tangible, barbed wire throughout the city
Spatial demarcations, protecting the domestic sphere
And psychological barriers of incomprehension
In each of these cases, we see ourselves positioned as a passing guest to this environment, which will never unveil its secrets.

Lara Ögel, Ibi Ibrahim and Evelyn Simons are trying to unravel the concealed realities ingrained within their temporary surroundings.

The practice of Turkish artist Lara Ögel (b. 1987) is defined by her accidental encounters with decontextualized objects in the urban landscape. Documenting the choreography of these seemingly nonchalant testimonies of human presence resulted in the creation of a video installation.
A site-specific installation mirrors the puzzling outlines that are drawn between public and private spaces, manifest in the outlook of the city through the subtle composition of patterned apartment curtains.

The works on show by Yemeni artist Ibi Ibrahim (b. 1987) are interwoven by his engagement with the local audience, and his own evolving artistic practice. Guided by Fairuz’ melodies during his entire stay, he set out to explore the intimate relationship between the iconic singer and her listeners, culminating in a video installation that reflects her unifying strength which transcends political and religious frictions.
A second installation brings together the tangible harshness cutting up the streets of Beirut, engaging in a vulnerable dialogue with the artists’ own emotional struggles.

Evelyn Simons (b. 1989) extended her research-based practice, which predominantly involves collaborating with other artists, by creating a soundscape and a photographic series that reflect a socio-cultural dialogue with her immediate surroundings.
A soundscape re-enacts the closed communities living side by side, making up segregated atmosphere that is Beirut. The series of photographs juxtapose the sense of destruction permeating the city, with the beauty advertisements imposing a continuous correction of outward appearances.