TRAVELER’S DIARY-Paris I:Institute du Monde Arabe

The exhibition “Christians of the East, two thousand years of history” really deserves to be visited not so much about its subject and the exhibits, since it deals with a very special issue, Christianity in the Arab World, the exhibition illuminates the history of a plural community and its major role in the Middle East, both political and cultural, social and religious.

By: Efi Michalarou

Along the way, masterpieces of Christian heritage are to be discovered, some of which are shown in Europe for the first time Notably, however, is the curating, the intelligent way of setting up the exhibition in a place like the Institute du Monde Arabe, whose characteristic is the glass surfaces-but also the way that one of the exhibition’s central videos is projected, on a round-floating screen that looks like a huge white light. The first works that introduce you to the exhibition in the 7th floor of the building (the exhibition unfolds from top to bottom), are 3 videos that run on small vertical screens like window shades, swayed between mirrors from where the history and relationship of the Arab world with Christianity is starting to unfold. Subsequently instead of removing or covering the glass walls of the building, z characteristic of the building’s architecture designed by Jean Nouvele, they reinforce them with glass showcases-walls that are unfold is space and create an excellent path -since the exhibits that are already bulky and heavy with transparency of the glass and the help of the light enable the viewer to move around the exhibition comfortably and effortlessly- in “Christians of the East, two thousand years of history” art, curating and architecture coexist harmoniously!

Info: Curators: Élodie Bouffard and Raphaëlle Ziadé, Institute du Monde Arabe, 1 Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, Paris, Duration: , 8/4/17-11/2/18, Days & Hours: Tue-Wed & Fri 10:00-18:00, Thu & Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-19:00, www.imarabe.org