In this video, we visit Lebanese artist and musician Raed Yassin in his studio in Beirut. He tells us about his ongoing interest in Egyptian cinema and how he uses it as a reference for many of his art projects be they video, photography, sound, installation or his well known neon signs. Yassin has been interested in Egyptian cinema because of its wide appeal in the Arab region. He borrowed a line from the famous Lembi film series to name the artist collective he formed with artists Vartan Avakian and Hatem Imam (Atfal Ahdath), and he has been mixing story lines and characters from various films with his own personal history, creating fictional memories, particularly related to his father`s death. Yassin`s work is often playful and humorous with darker undertones.
Yassin (b.1979) graduated from the theater department at the Institute of Fine Arts in Beirut in 2003. He has exhibited and performed in numerous museums, festivals and venues across Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Japan. Yassin was awarded the Fidus Prize (2009), the Abraaj Capital Art Prize (2012), the AFAC grant for production (2010), the YATF grant for production (2008 & 2012) and the Cultural Resource grant for production (2008). He is one of the organizers of IRTIJAL Festival, and has released several music albums. He founded Annihaya production company in 2009.
This video was produced by Medrar.TV
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[This video was produced by Medrar TV and is featured in partnership with Jadaliyya Culture]