An American who has lived outside of America for more than fifteen years, Everitte Barbee takes seriously the implicit and explicit ideals of his home country. In fact, the rules of American, and indeed western, society at large, seem to fascinate him; the rules, and how they are broken.

His art works are rendered in a combination of carefully chosen and created materials; handmade acrylic paints, inks, and egg tempera, on a specific paper (Pergamanata) resembling vellum, canvas and wooden panels. The materials, like the artworks themselves, are precise and careful, bordering on the obsessive, and tell a story of their own about the nature of art, roots, source.

Through his artworks themselves, as well as his identity as an American artist living in Lebanon, Barbee seeks to challenge what he sees as the misleading narratives of the region that are often told to Americans. By living in the middle east, and in making the work that he does, he seeks to show America that they do not understand this world as well as they might think, to complicate narratives, open minds. His message to America, the western world at large - Arab culture is deep, ancient and kind.

There is a clarity in Barbee’s vision for a world without hypocrisy, seeking this through a return to art as sacred lack of comprehension. Until then, he will present his truth.

This exhibition runs until July 26th.

Under the patronage of Ministry of Culture

This event is supported by our main partners Dalloul Art Foundation @DAFbeirut and Loubna Khalil Foundation @saadallahloubnafoundation