Libya art exhibit paints bleak picture of post-Arab Spring society
At an art exhibit in Tripoli, artists displayed haunting works related to their personal experiences in the post-revolution conflicts in Libya and the entire region.
Libyan artists highlighted the effects of the post-revolution crisis at a local art exhibition in Tripoli in early April. WaraQ Art Foundation, a nongovernmental organization working to resurrect the Libyan art scene through installations and workshops, organized and curated the exhibit titled “Warning" that took place April 1-5.
“The exhibition is focused on expressing the concept of human rights issues in modern society,” Takwa Barnosa, the co-founder of WaraQ, told Al-Monitor. “We believe that this is our way to fight back.”
Five evenings in a row, crowds shuffled into WaraQ’s studio in the center of Tripoli. After making their way past crime scene yellow tape hanging from a doorframe, visitors found themselves in an apocalyptic space. A disorderly setup of wooden stools representing chaotic reconstruction, flanked by computer monitors playing unsettling short films, stood in the middle of the room. Haunting works of art adorned the surrounding walls, as bright red and blue lighting drowned the studio. A soundtrack of eerie, distant warfare echoed through the event space.
"Warning" resembled little of the "light-hearted" art exhibitions that Tripoli had seen in the past.
