Lebanon is in the midst of its largest economic recession since the civil war of 1975-1990, paired with the constant presence of political corruption and interference as outlined in a recent opinion piece by Raghida Dergham, founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute. In the same article, however, Dergham espouses the deep roots of her country’s integrity–”Its constitution is democratic, its army is patriotic, and its people are modern and enlightened.”
News headlines present the pitfall of regarding entire nations solely in the abstract. “Lebanon” becomes a singular entity acting on its own behalf, rather than the thriving ecosystem of many different communities it truly is. Countries are made of people. Throughout its long, long history, this coastal country on the Mediterranean sea has served a crucial role in trade that has fostered a resulting rich cross-section of cultures.
Drowning in Flowers, a recent mural in Beirut by Spanish artist Alba Fabre Sacristán, picks an individual from the population and portrays them alongside lush flowers to portray a powerful message for the people of Lebanon, and the global street art community beyond. Her work builds upon an ongoing series of murals that’s been unfolding in Lebanon over the past few months. Coordinated predominantly by cross-border art collective Persona in partnership with numerous local Lebanese institutions, scores of world-class public artists have come to paint Beirut in the recent past. Their actions and artworks exude sympathy, hope, and beauty for every person in this place at odds with itself by honoring the reality of Lebanon’s many moving parts, from the country’s cosmopolitan centers to its breathtaking natural valleys and rivers.
Created also with assistance from Art of Change and Instituto Cervantes Beirut, Drowning in Flowers depicts the portrait of a proud woman overcome by a curtain of flowers creeping in from the yellow borders delineating the four-story facade Fabre Sacristán has painted. The mural’s position one story off the ground emphasizes some sense that it’s soaring. In a statement, Fabre Sacristán explains that this mural represents “an allegory to describe a moment of violence.” Though all those blooms are threatening to swallow this mural’s central figure, she gazes out at viewers with animated defiance. The model, Mira Karouta, will not go easy into that dark night, even if it is fragrant and lovely, soft to the petal-like touch.
“Lebanon is suffering very difficult circumstances caused by the current system,” Fabre Sacristán continues in her statement. “My humble way of trying to contribute [in] some way in that situation was to represent a feeling with which I empathize, even if it’s a cultural, political and social context very different from mine. The woman looks directly at the viewer with violence and not by choice, but precisely because she survives even though she is drowned alive.”
Residents and visitors in Beirut may encounter Drowning in Flowers during their daily lives, catching Karouta’s eye. While this graceful and gorgeous new mural instills an additional measure of soft beauty to help heal the metropolis, Fabre Sacristán’s statements allude to the stoic call to arms just beneath this artwork’s surface. Nations can perhaps be classified emergent phenomena, but don’t be mistaken, nations don’t arise of their own accord. They start with people. By utilizing portraiture to evoke visual archetypes of Lebanon’s integrity, Drowning in Flowers softly enforces the country’s movement in a blooming direction.
Alba Fabre Sacristán: instagram
Persona: website | instagram
Art of Change: website | instagram
