Ahmad Ghossein delivered his artist talk at the AUB Art Galleries, as part of the curatorial workshop Curating Erasures—A Censored Intervention. The talk, titled “The Pits,” was based on Ghossein’s video performance from his exhibition “Serotonin, Benzine and a Renegade Body.”
Info:
February 1, 2024
Artist Talk
Online and American University Beirut, Lebanon
Glossary:
Participants:
Ahmad Ghossein
Ahmad Ghossein
Ahmad Ghossein is an artist and filmmaker. He holds an MFA in Visual Art from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO) and a BFA in Theater from the Lebanese University in Beirut. His practice spans various media, including video art, installation, public art, and film. His work begins with the collection and analysis of facts, documents, and found footage, which then inform a broader exploration of the moving image’s potential. Ghossein is particularly interested in the connection between individual human experiences and shared historical and political realities. While rooted in personal and emotional narratives, his work ultimately engages with the larger political landscape of his time.
Siska
Siska
Siska, born in Beirut and based in Berlin, holds a master’s degree in Film and Audiovisual Arts from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. A key figure in Beirut's early graffiti scene, he also performed with the Lebanese hip-hop group Kitaa Beirut. His work explores sociopolitical narratives through archiveology and extended cinema, merging cinematic codes with personal and collective memory. Siska has exhibited internationally at venues such as Martin Gropius Bau, Beirut Art Center, and the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2024, he became the artistic director and curator of ADfD Alternative Monument for Germany, an AR memorial commemorating migration in Berlin. He curated redeem at Haus der Statistik (Berlin) in 2021 and completed a residency at Villa Aurora (Los Angeles) in 2022.
Mahdi Awade
Mahdi Awade
Mahdi Awade is a second-year MA student in the Art History and Curating program at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon.
Raghda Allouche
Raghda Allouche
Raghda Allouche is an experienced international development professional specializing in arts and culture. She holds an MA in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut (AUB), where she is currently also pursuing an MA in Art History and Curating.
Milena Gehrt
Milena Gehrt
Milena Gehrt studied at the Freie UniversitŠt Berlin and completed a master’s degree in Art History and Curating at the American University of Beirut (AUB). From 2016 to 2019, she worked with Zoukak Theatre in Beirut, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and various independent festivals in Berlin. In 2019, she moved to Beirut, where she researched public art interventions and collaborated with Ashkal Alwan and the Goethe-Institut Lebanon. During her studies at AUB, Milena co-curated three group exhibitions and explored alternative structures for contemporary artistic exchange between Germany and Lebanon. She currently works as a coordinator for the online publication of the DAAD-facilitated program “Beyond Orientalism(s)”at HGB Leipzig.
Shereen Makarem
Shereen Makarem
Shereen Makarem is a final-year MA student in the Art History program at the American University of Beirut, with a BS in Digital Design. She is also a creative designer and art director for a slow fashion brand and an artisanal jewelry brand.
Edwina Nassar
Edwina Nassar
Born in Sydney, Australia, Edwina Nassar moved to Lebanon in 2004. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts at the American University of Beirut in 2014, she taught visual arts at a private school in Saida. Edwina is currently in her third year of a master’s program in Art History and Curating at the American University of Beirut. Her research during this project focused on migration and identity.
Karim Naamani
Karim Naamani
Karim Naamani is a second-year MA student in the Art History and Curating program at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon.
Bisan Al Saadi
Bisan Al Saadi
Bisan Al Saadi is an undergraduate Art History student with a minor in Theater at the American University of Beirut. A Palestinian woman born in 2004 in Damascus, Syria, she has worked in theater production at AUB, serving as part of the core crew and cast of the Arabic adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Currently in her final year of studies, she plans to pursue a master's degree in Islamic Art and Architecture.
Layan Sanjar
Layan Sanjar
Layan Sanjar is a second-year MA student in the Art History and Curating program at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon. She also holds a BA in Philosophy and Art History from AUB. In addition to her studies, she works part-time as a copywriter and art writer.
