"Flip Lira" (16 x 132 x 237 cm), a work designed and created by Christine Kettaneh using LL 100,000 banknotes. Courtesy of the Janine Rubeiz Gallery.
A failed attempt to remove staples from an envelope, a beam of light from a lamp — suddenly, through her camera lens, she captures evocative images of clustered houses. Her “staple drawings” also trace the Arabic word beit (house), alongside bata and yabit, which reference home, lodging, and shelter.The artwork may seem simple, but its creation is layered with meaning. Through this interplay of staples and light, using a coded writing system, artist Christine Kettaneh alludes to the erosion of home’s essential attributes in Lebanon: a space meant for refuge, shelter, and safety. The power of art is at work here, as a glance at these small prints intuitively conveys a deeper message: a visual reflection of the upheavals Lebanese people have endured through years of crisis and collapse.Some staples are half-detached and lighting is set up...
A failed attempt to remove staples from an envelope, a beam of light from a lamp — suddenly, through her camera lens, she captures evocative images of clustered houses. Her “staple drawings” also trace the Arabic word beit (house), alongside bata and yabit, which reference home, lodging, and shelter.The artwork may seem simple, but its creation is layered with meaning. Through this interplay of staples and light, using a coded writing system, artist Christine Kettaneh alludes to the erosion of home’s essential attributes in Lebanon: a space meant for refuge, shelter, and safety. The power of art is at work here, as a glance at these small prints intuitively conveys a deeper message: a visual reflection of the upheavals Lebanese people have endured through years of crisis and collapse.Some staples are half-detached and lighting is...