The opening of Nuhad Es- Said Pavilion for Culture in the heart of Beirut…The heart of the National Museum!
It would be easier to give up. To howl in pain in this strange land of stories. To give up on the Arts. To make excuses. To Leave. And take our memories with us.
To place the "Bookshop" made of dreams politely into our pocket. To tuck it neatly away from the preying eyes of those who repeatedly gloat over our disappointments , as we embark into yet another adventure. As we write the first lines of yet another chapter from this endless epic tragedy.
It would be easier to give up. To accept our past wars as our inevitable fate.
And leave.
Perhaps open a small coffee shop by the sea in some forgotten island.
Accept our defeat.
Clench our disappointments between whatever is left of our veins.
The important thing is to leave.
Perhaps write enchanting tales that will never come true.
And yet, they somehow do.
And then suddenly, out of nowhere, you find people Building spaces!
Turning the stone tunnels into exquisite Cultural multifunctional hubs.
Restoring what has been labelled as ancient. Merging it with this confusing present. Awaiting the unfolding future.
And you rejoice.
For they still treat this city some of us still love, as the powerful enchantress she most surely is, whilst others are busy finding ways to leave her behind in a fleeting moment of infatuation.
But Who are these daredevils? And what, in the name of God were they thinking, opening up such triumphant spaces midst all this swirling sea of blood and missiles?
The National Museum has taken under its wings a pavilion unlike any other. A kind of a minimalist extension to its majestic building standing tall and unwavering in the heart of our Capital.
With the additional touches of the modern, the exhilarating whispers of Today's creations.
The Nuhad Es- Said Pavilion for Culture.
A refined, elegant, spacious hub designed by renowned architect Raed Abillama.
Culture in all its forms, a cafe named most appropriately
Pavilion Cafe.
And why shouldn't this news be an international bestseller, Might I ask?
The Pavilion was set to officially open its doors on the 18th of September.
Then, of course, everything else happened.
But isn't that always the case in our Beautiful country?
That is the reason why the Team behind this blossoming garden of a project decided
IT IS NOW OR NEVER!
Journalists and "Art Gourmets" were invited a couple of days ago to This Pavilion which chose the group exhibition
PORTALS AND PATHWAYS
to ignite this crackling Cultural fire, midst this crackling historical war.
The exhibition, designed and organized by the BeMA is the perfect embodiment of opening windows and passages to where Art resides. To where the imagination floats, without a care in this world, screaming theatrically:
LET THEM HATE SO LONG AS THEY FEAR!
The Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion and BeMa have been trying since Last March to open the doors of the Pavilion with its inaugural exhibition and make it accessible to the public. For the eye needs visual appetizers and the soul needs culinary delights.
And what better place to indulge in both than in the
Nuhad Es- Said Pavilion for Culture!
The Pavilion takes its name from the lover of Arts and Culture Who left us early, but somehow he stayed. He remained amongst us through his passion, his belief, his unwavering commitment to the Arts.
And here is the pavilion which proudly takes his name, helping to reestablish the presence of the majestic National museum it accompanies adjacently. Adding to it a few glimpses of minimalism and promising wideness.
And some culinary delights.
The committee members of this remarkable pavilion, Lama Salam, Youmna ziadeh Karam, Raymond Araygi, Saleh Barakat, Samir Ali Ahmad, have entrusted BeMA with curating this eclectic array of names in the Arts to inaugurate this opening we so desperately need.
We find different mediums, photography, installations, and This hidden conversation between four Cultural seasons more like symbolic passages:
Memory Myths Perception Territory
Sensational young artist, Alfred Tarazi presented the exhibition with his elevated and sublime installation
HYMNE A L'AMOUR
which, he tells me is the sum of a family legacy. his.
Whatever is left from the Atelier of his Tarazi family.
You see, his family were craftsmen and antique dealers for years upon years. This Legacy dates back to 1850.
And from this atelier, Alfred chose to turn the many leftover accessories and antiques into An indescribable piece of Art. This Elevated installation is a passageway to an imminent museum for the decorative Arts which Alfred hopes will bring people closer to the traditional crafts his ancestors began.
It is a love Anthem.
Exactly As is the Pavilion. And the group exhibition which we can enjoy until the beginning of the next Year.
Without forgetting the culinary delights of the Pavilion cafe. Some much needed conversation, and why not some idle gossip with friends and foes!
For, it is whispered that Beirut wants us to believe she will be back.
EN 
AR