2024-02-24 14:18:39
2/24/2024-|Last update: 2/24/202404:59 PM (Mecca time)
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The ancient Greek myth – which is being recalled at the 2024 Venice International Exhibition of Contemporary Art – tells how Zeus (the greatest Greek god) kidnapped a Phoenician princess (from the civilization of the ancient eastern Mediterranean coastal region) called “Europa” after he was infatuated with her.
The story begins with Zeus, impressed by the beauty of Europe, turning into a cute white bull to attract her attention while she was playing with her friends in the fields.
In turn, Europe was fascinated by the bull and decided to climb on its back, but as soon as she did that, the bull quickly set off towards the sea and swam away with her and took her to the island of Crete, where he revealed his true identity and married her.
Europe gave birth to 3 sons from Zeus, one of whom was Minos, who became a great king on the Greek island of Crete. The story not only tells the adventure of kidnapping and love, but also expresses how different cultures interacted and the impact they had on Greek civilization.
The name “Europe” itself was derived and was later used to refer to the entire European continent, which reflects the importance of this myth in the European cultural and historical heritage.
The legend of the Phoenician princess Europe from which the continent of Europe derived its name (communication sites)
Lebanon Pavilion in Venice
In restoring the ancient myth, the legendary atmosphere mixed with modernity will prevail over the Lebanese pavilion at the “International Exhibition of Contemporary Art – Venice Biennale”, as it restores at its disposal the myth of Phoenician Europe as seen by the visual artist Mounira Al-Solh, who modified the story of the myth in her artistic work.
The Lebanese Society for Visual Arts, sponsored by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture, is organizing the Lebanese pavilion in the 60th session of the World Fair, which will be held between April 20 and November 24.
This multimedia artistic installation – which consists of 41 works – is entitled “A Dance from Its Story”, and will occupy the space of the Lebanese Pavilion, which has an area of 180 square metres. It deals with the myth of “Europa”, the daughter of the king of the Phoenician city of Tire, and her relationship with the god of the sky and the thunderbolt in Greek mythology, Zeus, from the perspective of Artwork by artist Munira Al Solh.
The installation “A Dance of Its Story,” for which the scenography (depiction of the scenes) was created by the architect Karim Bekdache, revolves around a boat that invites the visitor to a symbolic journey, but the structure of the main boat that is in the middle of the exhibition is incomplete and is surrounded by 6 boats, 18 drawings, 5 paintings, and 15 masks.
A 12-minute video depicts the works included in the exhibition in an animated way, interspersed with representative scenes, and displayed on a screen that forms the main sail of the boat.
Daughter of the king of Tire
Multidisciplinary visual artist Mounira Al-Solh (46 years old) told Agence France-Presse – on the sidelines of a press conference held among the statues and sarcophagi in the main hall of the National Museum in Beirut – that she “was inspired by the installation from the legend of Europe, daughter of Agenor, King of Tyre (Lebanese),” and the museum itself includes Mosaic representing the myth of Europe.
But the Lebanese artist wanted to change the events of the story, “instead of Zeus kidnapping her to a second civilization, Europe controls her story, takes control of things, and changes its context, showing that she is not the oppressed woman and the victim,” adding, “I care about women being the source of strength.”
She explained that she wrote this story from her perspective “as a Lebanese woman,” noting that “most of those who wrote these Greek myths were men.”
In turn, journalist Roni Alpha, representative of the Lebanese Minister of Culture, saw that “the multi-dimensional reconciliation work mimics myth and reality, history and modernity,” describing it as “a journey of liberation struggle that challenges patriarchal society with its seduction amidst scenography that takes the visitor to the azure beach of Tyre.”
For her part, the curator of the Lebanese Pavilion, Nada Ghandour, explained that the exhibition this year sheds light on the issues and challenges facing women, and the Lebanese Pavilion in 2024 will appear as an edifice that “glorifies emancipation, freedom, solidarity, and equality between the sexes.”
She pointed out that Lebanon is participating for the first time in two consecutive sessions in the Venice Biennale.
Ghandour hoped that this participation would enhance “Lebanon’s position on the global artistic scene as a center for creativity and artistic innovation, and that it would pave the way for the establishment of a permanent Lebanese pavilion.”
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