“Museum as Hub: Beirut Art Center” is a project that includes an exhibition, the presentation of Beirut Art Center’s Mediatheque, and a series of events.

The exhibition, entitled “Due to unforeseen events…,” examines specific cases in which the production or presentation of an artwork in Lebanon was altered from its original idea, hence raising unexpected questions and unfolding new meanings. The exhibition features descriptions of each case in addition to new commissions, in which artists respond to the alteration of their original ideas or intentions, using archival documentation as well as new texts, images, and objects. The aim is to question issues that are relevant to contemporary art practices and the recent history and politics of Lebanon, such as the relation between art and public spaces, the critical reception of works, and censorship. The exhibition features works by Ziad Abillama, Tony Chakar, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Rabih Mroué, and Kirsten Scheid.

In the resource center, Beirut Art Center will also present their Mediatheque, a digital archive that offers public access to works—including video, image, sound, and text—by a growing number of artists from Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, and Armenia. The Mediatheque also includes select documentation of events that took place at Beirut Art Center since its opening.