Alaa Minawi

Alaa Minawi
Born1982
Beirut, Lebanon
Alma materLebanese American University, Beirut
Known forLuminal art, theater
Notable workMy Light is Your Light... (2014)

Alaa Minawi (born 1982, in Beirut) is a Lebanese, Palestinian and Dutch interdisciplinary artist and lecturer based in Amsterdam. His work includes performing arts and installations, often exploring light as a medium, and themes such as belonging, conflict and healing, and Arab-futurism.[1][2][3]

Education and career

Detail shot of Minawi's My Light is Your Light.. in the churchyard of St. James's Church, Piccadilly (2018)

Minawi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the Lebanese American University in 2008, and earned a MA in Fine Arts from Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht in 2018.[3] He went on to study lighting design lighting design at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.[3]

Minawi began his career in 2006 as a lighting designer and scenographer, collaborating with various theater and dance companies in Lebanon and the Arab region.[2] In 2010, he began creating his own installations, which have been frequently exhibited in public spaces.[2] [4][5] Some of his notable works include Beyond Myself... (2013),[6] My Light is Your Light... (2014),[7][1][8] The Bride (2016),[9] Waiting for It to End... (2020),[10][11][12] and The Liminal (2024).[13] In 2016, Minawi began an artistic research project focused on the concept of belonging and its connection to physical space, culminating in a series of performances collectively titled 2048.[14][11] In this work, Minawi aimed to integrate installation and performance art, involving the audience as a part of his performance.[14][3]

Minawi is a teacher at the Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) and the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht (HKU), and is a lecturer at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. He is the founder and program director of the Beirut Summer School for Theater and Performance.[3]

Recognition and awards

Minawi's installation My Light is Your Light... was selected for UNESCO's International Year of Light 2015 and was nominated for the Best Light Art Award at the D’Arc Awards, London, UK in 2016.[11][12] In 2024, Minawi's installation The Liminal received a Special Jury Award in International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam's immersive non-fiction competition.[15][16]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b van den Eijnden 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht 2024.
  4. ^ Broeken 2020.
  5. ^ Ghandour Hert et al. 2021.
  6. ^ Frame Magazine editorial 2014.
  7. ^ Embrechts & Etemad 2024.
  8. ^ BBC News 2016.
  9. ^ Stichting Spring 2024.
  10. ^ Artiflex editorial 2021.
  11. ^ a b c DOTE 2020.
  12. ^ a b Patel 2016.
  13. ^ Linssen, Dana (2024-11-12). "Nederlanders verkennen grenzen van de documentaire op IDFA". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  14. ^ a b Stichting Spring 2023.
  15. ^ IDFA Festival. "IDFA Professionals | Winners 1988–2024". IDFA. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  16. ^ IDFA Festival (2024). "Jury reports 2024". IDFA. Retrieved 2024-12-20.

Sources