Imported from Egypt to Lebanon from 13 to 24 January 2009, the exhibition Women in Black by painter Shayma Aziz graced the walls of Zico House.
Shayma Aziz is a visual artist whose paintings, sculptures and animated films combine the traditional technicality of fine art with new media practices. Born in Asyut, Egypt, and a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Luxor, Shayma Aziz is a leading painter on the Cairo art scene. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including in Cairo, Alexandria, Berlin, New York, Tehran, Beirut, Tunis, Amsterdam and Marseille.
Women in Black mourns the disappearance of the female figure from public space in Arab cities. Dozens of ghostly bodies occupy the Zico House and represent the eclipse of women from the visible world exclusively dominated by the male gaze. Each shadow is a reminder of the oppressive absence of the female in history, art and space.
This exhibition was organized by Zico House in partnership with Culture Resource (Beirut).