DUBAI, 2023
The exhibition text was commissioned by artist Dia Mrad for his photography exhibition Utilities at the Zawyeh Gallery in Dubai. The exhibition delved into the material layers of Beirut’s economic collapse, capturing its impact on the city’s urban infrastructure. The project explored the infrastructural dimensions most affected by the crisis—electricity grids, water supplies, and the banking sector—revealing how these systems manifest in material forms such as solar panels, water tanks, and reinforced façades. By treating these objects not just as representations but as the crisis itself, the work blurred the boundaries between signifier and signified.
Photo credit: Dia Mrad (Cropped)
Marc Ghazali 