From September 21–24, the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center will host the 8th Beirut Art Fair, curated by Rose Issa, a leading authority on contemporary Middle Eastern art. The fair’s main exhibition, titled “Ourouba, The Eye of Lebanon,” brings together paintings, photography, sculpture and installations sourced from public institutions and private collections across Lebanon. The selection emphasizes works that reflect aesthetic, conceptual and socio-political issues affecting the Arab world over the past decade.
This year’s program focuses on themes of memory, destruction and reconstruction, as well as conflict and peace. The Arabic term ourouba, often translated as “Arabicity,” functions as the curatorial thread linking the diverse works on display. The exhibition highlights artists who engage with collective memory and identity, explore physical and cultural rebuilding, and respond to moments of rupture and resilience.
Rose Issa is known for her extensive work across Middle Eastern cinema and the visual arts. Her curatorial and production credits include exhibitions and projects at major cultural institutions worldwide, showcasing her longstanding commitment to promoting artists from the region. Her previous collaborations span venues such as the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate Britain in London, the Beirut Exhibition Center, the European Parliament in Brussels, the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, and the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.
The Beirut Art Fair provides a platform for both emerging and established artists, galleries and institutions to present works that engage with current social and political realities. Visitors can expect a rich mix of historical perspectives and contemporary responses, where individual practice intersects with broader questions of cultural belonging and artistic representation.
Beyond the curated centerpiece, the fair typically hosts gallery presentations, special projects and talks that deepen the conversation around the exhibition’s central themes. This context allows audiences to encounter varied artistic strategies—ranging from intimate portraiture and documentary photography to large-scale installation and conceptual sculpture—that consider how communities remember, rebuild and imagine futures after conflict.
By foregrounding works that address memory and reconstruction alongside pieces reflecting on conflict and peace, the “Ourouba, The Eye of Lebanon” exhibition aims to offer a nuanced view of the region’s recent decade. The fair’s programming encourages reflection on how art documents and shapes collective narratives, and how cultural production contributes to processes of healing and renewal.
Attendees of the Beirut Art Fair will have the opportunity to see important loans from Lebanese private and institutional collections, encounter international curatorial perspectives, and engage with dialogues that bridge local experience and global art conversations. The fair underscores Beirut’s role as a cultural hub where artistic practice, critical discourse and public engagement converge.