“Nowadays few people go to art exhibitions, the art comes to them!” Chris Geiger. This is very much the case when you are walking around the city of Beirut. Here, and all over Lebanon, history has been the triggering factor for the kickoff of street art.
I’m saying this because in the mid 70’s Lebanon was subjected to a tremendous civil war that lasted over 15 years, which particularly damaged Beirut. During this period of time people started drawing graffiti and stencils on the walls of the cities and using them as a propaganda medium. In the past years a new graffiti style was developed by some local artist: Calligraffti. In this style Arabic words and symbols are gently incorporated in the drawings.
Today, when you walk through Beirut’s streets you can admire colored graffiti painted by Lebanese artists, such as Yazan Halwani (known for representing famous Beirut’s residents), and Ali Rafei (street artists from Tripoli, currently active and living in Beirut), but also painted by foreign artists who specifically come to Beirut to create art. While you’ll be discovering the city try to understand if the graffiti you see have a deeper meaning then just ‘being art‘, since most of the graffiti you will find have a historical, political and social meaning. I must admit that Beirut’s street art has evolved in the past years and, today, some artists use graffiti ‘just’ to make the city a brighter and more beautiful place.
Where to find street art in Beirut?
Street art in Beirut is not the main attraction but because of its, often, touristic location, it has become more popular throughout the tourists. Numerous graffiti are visible in Hamra, one of the most popular neighborhoods of the city. Also, the neighborhoods Mar Mikhael and Gemmayze are rich of graffiti and stencils.
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