Dear friends of fresh art,
we cordially invite you to the
Finissage on July 12th 6-10pm
MARIA KASSAB
“IT NEVER LEAVES YOU”
to the Galerie Kuchling.
We also have a little suprise for you.
The electronic musician SURKID aka Axel Sandig,
will perform his latest album “HOME FREQUENCIES”,
released by the Cologne-based label MODULARFIELD.
LIVEGIG starts by SURKID at 8pm
SAVE THE DATE !
We look forward to your visit <3
Informations about the artist and exhibition
In her exhibition “It Never Leaves You”, Maria Kassab traces the history and memories of her family before and after the invasion of Lebanon. Inspired by old photographs of family members in places obliterated by war, Kassab invites the audience to immerse themselves in the intersecting narratives of two places: Beirut and Berlin, two cities separated by time but connected by the threads of politics. This dual narrative will introduce these two locations – one set in the past (Beirut) 70’s, 80’s and the other in the present (Berlin). As parallels emerge throughout the exhibition, the artist uses correspondence with her family during that time. Inspired by old photographs, she interweaves the interconnectedness of human experience across time and geography with critical reflection. Through a mixture of historical events and abstract narratives, viewers will wander while exploring the multiple layers of a somewhat ambiguous past and an uncertain present. Maria’s practice usually navigates between photography and video works; her themes revolve around the intersections of political, social, and natural landscapes, inviting us to consider our place within these dynamic ecosystems. In this body of work, she unveils a different medium: Working with painting and photography, she challenges time and the memory of home by redrawing important events from her past. This semi-fictional narrative allows the artist to question the nature of remembering, perceiving, and the forgotten landscapes of home. “It Never Leaves You is inspired by Einar Schleef’s novel Gertrud, based on the life of his mother. The main work on the biographical project “Gertrud” also plays an increasing role in the correspondence. Einar Schleef sends lists of questions; his mother collects photos and documents. Einar gave the first part of the book to Gertrud on her birthday in 1980. He said: “Many of the details are correct, some I’ve invented sometimes you don’t even recognize them, and some seem completely original”. Warning: “Be careful, there is a mixture of fiction and true stories”.
Maria Kassab is a Lebanese interdisciplinary artist and graphic designer who studied Communication Arts & Fine Arts at the Lebanese American University, Beirut. She is based in Berlin and completed her Master of Art in Photography at BTK Arts & Design University Berlin, in 2022. Her work has been exhibited internationally, most notably in Beirut, Paris, Washington DC, Copenhagen, Brussels, Palermo and Berlin. Her work has appeared in international and local art magazines. She states that her work is a resistance to the political and social dilemma. She recounts these transformations by borrowing from a political history. Her constructive and deconstructive images navigate between absence and presence, recalling a timeline of events from her hometown of Beirut. Kassab won the Audience Choice Award at the 33rd Salon d’Automne, Sursock Museum 2019. She completed her art residency at Villa Empain Boghossian Foundation in Brussels, September – November 2019. In addition, Maria won the first prize in photography at the Boghossian Foundation in Brussels in 2017.
Maria Kassab, “Lena”, 024, Acryl on Hahnemühle on paper, 60 x 40cm
Maria Kassab, “Train”, 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 100cm