“Red Shoes, Blue Song” – Painting & collage on paper, 2004

Paris-based Lebanese Illustrator and artist Lamia Ziadé started her career at the age 18 when she moved to Paris to study in Graphic Arts in Atelier Met de Penninghen. She begun her career by designing fabrics for fashion houses of Jean-Paul Gaultier & Issey Myiake. She also worked with Vogue, San Pelligrino and a number of CD & film poster designs.

She participated in a number of exhibitions, one of them was under the title Hotel’s War in Galerie Tanit. The exhbition addressed the time back in 1975 where different militias (Al Kata’eb, Al Murabetoun, Al Feda’youn..etc) involved in the war took over several luxurious hotels in Beirut and used them as fortresses for weeks of dreadful fights. The exhibition explores the way those militias integrated into the hotel forcefully and turned them into their own little habitats where they drink and eat from what’s in the hotel, while entertaining themselves in there.

Photograph from her exhibition “Hotel’s War” – 2008 (Click to Enlarge)

Ziadé’s style takes a very interesting pattern and style of her own; a style that can be identified as highly feminie and yet childish in nature (from the different usage of fabrics, character drawing and so). She is a fan of depicting women either engaging in masturbation or not; but in both cases they are usually with wide open legs open for the spectator’s sight. One only thing that most can agree about Ziadé, her fulfillmet of the titled “Pop artist”.

“Yellow & Gold” – Tissues, 2006

Ziadé both wrote and co-wrote a number of books. They are: “L’utilisation Maximum de la Douceur”, “Dix Doigs Pour Une Voix”, “Rayon Beauté”, “Souliax” and “Strip Tease”.

cover of one of her books “Rayon Beauté” – 1998

Links

• Visit Lamia Ziadé’s official website
• Her profile on Galerie Tanit
• About her exhibition “Hotel’s War” (German)

“RESISTANCE[S] صمود” is a compilation DVD of 8 experimental films & videos from Middle Eastern & North African artists. The main theme portrayed is about the formation of an identity while belonging to more than one culture through immigration and possibly displacement by consent. Formulated in the most interesting way, each artist takes on a personal view to interpret it through images, sound and motion.

There are two volumes of the compilation, RESISTANCE[S] II. The second compilation exposes the diverse creative energies in the area and using it tries to deteriorate any common stereotypes created regarding those in the Middle East and North Africa.

The artists featured on the first volume of RESISTANCE[S] DVD are: Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Taysir Batniji, Mounir Fatmi, Lamya Gargash, Usama Alshaibi, Jayce Salloum, Frédérique Devaux and Waël Noureddine.

Artists participating on the second volume are: Nassim Amaouche, Al Fadhil, Joude Gorani, Katia Kameli, Bouchra Khalili, Nesrine Khodr, Pauline M’barek, Zineb Sedira and Jalal Toufic.

Scene from “Wet Tiles” by Lamya Gargash

The DVD is produced and distributed by Lowave DVD, which is an independent film label founded in 2002 in Paris, France. They aim to promote experimental film and video. They produce and distribute both compilation dvd’s featuring several artists and solo ones as well.

Below you can find the trailer of RESISTANCE[S] صمود Vol. I:

Trailer of RESISTANCE[S] صمود Vol. II:

• Visit Lowave DVD Website