Beirut - Arab Today
Every year El Namer House for art and culture organizes 3 types of exhibitions, to support artists in different fields, to host artists from different places, and to provide spaces for artistic and cultural performances like, theatre, movies, music, books and scientific lectures. Regarding the community, the house focuses on educational activities through workshops with craftsmen and partnership with schools and youth centers. The hose also celebrates the cultural legacy of the region, and currently hosts “Midad” exhibition which shows the improvement of Calligraphy and its implementation across the world. The exhibition shows more than 75 pieces from the 8th century to the 20th century, along with other 5 pieces by contemporary artists, made especially to the house.
El Nemer group obtains works from India, China and Dagestan, along with an exceptional Mus'haf recovered from Africa, and some other manuscripts from Morocco, showing how koufi font was still used as approve to the development and diversity of calligraphy.
Midad exhibition doesn’t have a time or geographical line, it explores different eras. Most of the exhibits belongs to El Nemer House owner, Ramy El Nemer, who always encourages young Arabs with talents by offering to display their works in his art house. This house holds many exhibition to Palestinian artists, in attempt to connect between Palestinian living in Palestine and whom they live all over the world, to maintain their identity.
El Nemer House is located in Villa Salem in Clemenceau Street, Beirut. It is a charming building dating back to the 1930s, designed by architect Lucian Cavro, and it is one of the first buildings with domino model, which was invented by Lokobozier. The opening of El Nemer exhibition helped to maintain this historical building, and revive it as a public space to recreate the region’s history through arts.