Mahmoud Khaled's work: 19th of Sep to 3rd of Oct in the Haber Family's House. 2005. Photo Credit: Mahmoud Khaled's official website.
Videobrasil has invited four artists from Lebanon to compete in The 18th Contemporary Art Festival dedicated to the southern artistic productions from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe, South and Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Videobrasil is a Brazilian cultural organisation that highlights the promotion of contemporary art and cultural dialogue.
The Arab artists to participate in the Southern panorama show are Akram Zaatari, Ali Cherri, Mahmoud Khaled and Roy Dibwere. Each work of art was chosen out of 2,000 competing projects.
According to Brazil-Arab News Agency, featuring Arab artists in the festival enriches the art scene of North America and Western Europe.
The total number of competing projects reached 94 pieces of video installations, drawings, sculptures, paintings, artist books, and videos, according to the Videobrasil website.
The artists' creative background influenced by the Arab political identity showcases the diversity of the festival and exposes the Arab art scene internationally.
Akram Zaarati is a Lebanese photographer and filmmaker; his photographic work excels in explaining the state of image making. Many of his videos are influenced by the Arab political and cultural situation. He is also one of the founders of Beirut’s Arab Image Foundation.
Alo Cherri is a visual artist and designer. He studied graphic design at The American University in Beirut. According to Brazil-Arab News Agency, His work is a combination between political issues and personal memories. This is his second time participating in the festival as he won a prize at the 15th Videobrasil Festival.
Mahmoud Khaled is the third competitor at the festival. His background and experience adds a cultural appeal to the festival as he lived between Lebanon and Egypt.
According to his website, in his work "we are subjected to the conceptual effects of an inspective eye primarily concerned with the boundaries and in-between zones of public life and its personal counterpart."
Lebanese artist Roy Dib, according to Brazil-Arab News Agency, holds a degree in Theatre from the Lebanese University and is one of the founders of theatre group Zoukak. He also works in cultural journalism.
According to the Videobrazil website, not only will the Brazilian international festival host and highlight Middle Eastern artwork, but it also celebrates its 30-year anniversary of artistic experiments and contributions.
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