Video art for the first time in Libya

The Arete Foundation for Arts and . . .[restrict]Culture is to hold an exhibition of video art in Tripoli’s Old City on 6-7 November.

First Glance is the first exhibition of video art in the country. Nine screens in the Old City Works will show works by international artists from Argentina, Australia, Egypt, France, India, Japan, Lebanon,  The Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Syria, the UK, the US and elsewhere.

“The First Glance exhibition will allow viewers to navigate between Tripoli’s Old City landmarks while the ancient walls offer one of the latest forms of art,” said artist Reem Gibriel, the executive director of the Arete Foundation for Culture and Arts.

“First Glance is an attempt to build bridges between art lovers and artists in Libya and their counterparts around the world in a free atmosphere and in a civilized manner that reflects the aspirations of all Libyans”, she explained.

The video art films will be shown between 6pm and 8.30 pm on the two evenings . The starting point will be at the Arch of Marcus Aurelius in the Old City. Maps and directional signs will be provided to direct people to  each point in the exhibition.

The foundation is named after the philosopher  Arete of Cyrene (c. 400 BC – c. 340 BC), daughter of Aristippus (c. 435 BC – c. 356 BC) who founded the Cyrene School of Philosophy and himself a pupil of Socrates.  She was the mother of another philosopher, Aristippus the Younger, whom she taught.  The 14th-century Italian poet Boccaccio wrote that she had taught 110 philosophers and had written 40 books and on her tomb was an epitaph which stating she had the beauty of Helen of Troy, the writing skills of Aristippus, the soul of Socrates and the tongue of Homer.

For more information about First Glance, contact the Arete Foundation:

Or e-mail [email protected],