Satellite Voices

Dubai

From Beirut with love

February 3, 2012

Satellite Voices talks to the Dubai-based photographer Nadine Kanso on her striking new solo exhibition

• Text by Kate Hazell

Cuadro Fine Art Gallery will be exhibiting Dubai-based Lebanese artist Nadine Kanso's latest series of works, "Makan fi al Zakerah"(Memory of a Place) starting from next week. The inspiring images capture Nadine's native Beirut and depicts her longing for her homeland in the series of powerful and honest photographs. Satellite Voices talks to the artist about her latest work.

Satellite Voices: How long have you been living in Dubai and what made you decide to leave Lebanon?
Nadine Kanso: I have been living in Dubai since 2000. I was living in Montreal and Prague before moving here. I left Lebanon to be with the man I love.

SV: What do you miss most about Lebanon?
Nadine Kanso: I miss walking in the streets, stopping to have my coffee and mankousheh... I miss my family and friends.

SV: What inspired you most about this exhibition?
Nadine Kanso: In this body of work, Beirut is a reflection of other cities in the Arab world today. Each of the buildings tells a story from the past which is also very poignant in the present time.

SV: How does Dubai inspire your photography?
Nadine Kanso: Dubai’s dynamics, its inhabitants and its vision inspire me.

SV: What do you think about the art scene in Dubai? Any local-based artists you’d recommend?
Nadine Kanso: The art scene has come a long way in a short period of time and it continues to improve and move forward. Dubai has established itself as an important regional center with a global outlook. Art Dubai has been a significant driver and has changed the perception of many, regarding Dubai as a cultural destination.

Nadine Kanso opens on February 7 at Cuadro Fine Art Gallery @

DIFC PO, Box 506586 Dubai