23/04/2026
In this excerpt, Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki draws parallels between a series of his works and the thematic structure of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry.
Referencing Salam Al-Kindy's Le Voyageur sans Orient (1998), which examines the philosophy and structure of pre-Islamic verse, Baalbaki notes how his art mirrors the thematic progression of these poems: beginning with "al-wuquf 'ala al-atlal", where the poet laments at the ruins, a notion echoed in Baalbaki's paintings of war-damaged buildings and urban destruction; this is followed by descriptions of the poet's difficult journey wandering the desert as he searches for what he has lost, reflected in the artist's images of bundled belongings on cars and other visual motifs of displacement; and culminating in the poet's assertion of identity, tribal belonging, and core values, paralleled in Baalbaki's recurrent renderings of Beirut's ruined, yet still-standing, buildings, which similarly articulate deep attachment to land and place.
Watch Ayman Baalbaki discuss the many influences that have shaped his artistic practice over the years, the themes and approaches behind his works, and the memories that continue to animate his vision.
Full video at the link in bio.
