Lebanese Artists Preserve Southern Villages Amid Conflict

Artists from southern Lebanon are exhibiting work at Beit Beirut, a museum in Beirut, to document and preserve the stories of their villages amidst ongoing conflict with Israel. The collaborative exhibition, Hkeeli Ya Jnoub (Tell Me, South), grew from a commemoration of Lebanon’s civil war to a focused effort on the south following recent bombardments.

Photographer Sama Beydoun displays experimental film photographs of her village, Bint Jbeil, embracing the imperfections and absences within the images as representative of loss and change. Documentary photographer Rawan Mazeh presents photographs and letters from a family impacted by the Israeli-run Khiam prison, a project continuing after the family’s home was destroyed.

Filmmaker Farrah Berrou's film Buffer Zone uses personal footage to portray the devastation of Kfarkela and the impact on her family, also serving as a fundraiser for displaced people. The artists aim to counter erasure and reclaim ownership of their narratives during a period of intense destruction and displacement. The exhibition is on display until July 26.