The year 1958 in Lebanon was marked by a crisis that lasted six months and made the deep rifts in the society clear. The regional geopolitical situation and its players influenced the crisis strongly, including the landing of 14,000 US-marines on the coast of Beirut, termed "Operation Blue Bat".

The conflict arose from different social and political aspects and led to a general chaos. In the aftermath, this episode was defined as either "Revolution of 58", "Violence of 58", "Unrest" or "Insurrection. A political compromise with the motto "no winners and no losers" ended this crisis. 17 years later, unsolved problems led to the Civil War. The corrupted political leadership is still today in firm control and dominates society and the political landscape. At the end, there were no winners, only a large number of victims.

The exhibition will feature installation works, images and objects that goes beyond mere documentary and explores a period of the recent Lebanese past that remains largely unexamined and allows for a re-contextualization of historical processes.

About the Artist:

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Salah Saouli studied sculpture and painting at the University of Arts in Berlin, where he received his Master degree. He received the First Award of “Blickachse 2006”, Germany and the Honour Award of the "Third Sharjah Biennale", UAE. He lives and works between Beirut and Berlin and exhibits on an international scale.

Image: © Salah Saouli, Agial Art Gallery