Alaa Minawi Explained
Alaa Minawi (born 1982, in Beirut) is a Palestinian and Dutch interdisciplinary artist and lecturer based in Amsterdam. His work spans across performing arts and installations, with a focus on using light as medium. His themes explore belonging, conflict, healing, and Arab-futurism.
Education and career
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. He went on to study lighting design lighting design at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
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. In 2010, he expanded his practice to include the creation of his own installations, which have frequently been exhibited in public spaces. Some of his notable installations include Beyond Myself... (2013), My Light is Your Light... (2014), The Bride (2016), and Waiting for It to End... (2020). In 2016, Minawi began an artistic research project focused on the concept of belonging and its connection to physical space. This research culminated in a series of performances collectively titled 2048. In this work, Minawi aimed to integrate installation and performance art, involving the audience as an essential part of his performance.
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.
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.
References
Sources
- Web site: Artiflex editorial . 2021 . In gesprek met... alaa minawi . In conversation with... alaa minawi . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225149/https://artifex.nu/in-gesprek-met-alaa-minawi . 14 April 2021 . 25 September 2024 . artifex.nu . nl.
- Web site: BBC News . 2 February 2016 . Beş sanatçının gözünden Suriye'de savaş ve göç . War and Migration in Syria Through the Eyes of Five Artists . 25 September 2024 . BBC News Türkçe . tr.
- Web site: Broeken . Anja . 10 March 2020 . Nieuw kunstwerk 'Waiting for it to end' bij het Biesbosch Museum . New artwork 'Waiting for it to end' at Biesbosch Museum . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200312211530/https://www.ad.nl/rivierenland/nieuw-kunstwerk-waiting-for-it-to-end-bij-het-biesbosch-museum~a0af2618/ . 12 March 2020 . 25 September 2024 . Algemeen Dagblad . nl.
- Web site: DOTE . 2020 . Alaa Minawi . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203085510/https://dancingontheedge.nl/artists/alaa-minawi/ . 3 December 2022 . 25 September 2024 . Dancing on the Edge . en-US.
- Web site: van den Eijnden . Janus . 2024 . my light is your light . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240529082131/https://lightart-collection.com/artworks/my-light-is-your-light . 29 May 2024 . 25 September 2024 . Light Art Collection . en.
- Web site: Embrechts . Annette . Etemad . Mina . 26 May 2024 . Spring-festival trapt af met naakte solo van Manon Santkin en prachtige trance tussen negen dansers . Spring festival kicks off with nude solo by Manon Santkin and beautiful trance between nine dancers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240716173029/https://www.volkskrant.nl/theater/spring-festival-trapt-af-met-naakte-solo-van-manon-santkin-en-prachtige-trance-tussen-negen-dansers~b1348157/ . 16 July 2024 . 25 September 2024 . Volkskrant . nl.
- Web site: Frame Magazine editorial . 26 January 2014 . Beyond Myself by Alaa Minawi . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231209193748/https://frameweb.com/article/beyond-myself-by-alaa-minawi . 9 December 2023 . 25 September 2024 . Frameweb.com . en.
- News: Ghandour Hert . Maya . Khalaf . Colette . Khoury . Gilles . Mallat . Danny . Zalzal . Zéna . 29 December 2021 . Les 21 coups culturels de 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211229110433/https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1286045/les-21-coups-culturels-de-2021.html . 29 December 2021 . 25 September 2024 . L'Orient Le Jour . fr.
- Web site: Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht . 2024 . Van lichtkunstenaar naar ongrijpbare performer . From light artist to elusive performer . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229152131/https://www.hku.nl/het-werk-van-hku/verhalen/van-lichtkunstenaar-naar-ongrijpbare-performer . 29 February 2024 . 25 September 2024 . HKU . nl.
- Web site: Patel . Heenali . 2016-02-01 . Palestinian artist Alaa Minawi wants to help Angela Merkel by auctioning his latest piece . 2024-09-25 . CNN . en.
- Web site: Stichting Spring . 13 February 2024 . alaa minawi - Spring Festival . https://web.archive.org/web/20240530182349/https://springutrecht.nl/en/people/alaa-minawi/ . 30 May 2024 . 25 September 2024 . Spring Utrecht . en-US.
- Web site: Stichting Spring . 22 February 2023 . 2048 – identity in dissolution (٢٠٤٨ – تَحَلّلْ هَوِيَة) - SPRING Festival . https://web.archive.org/web/20240925075025/https://springutrecht.nl/programma/alaa-minawi/?language=en . 25 September 2024 . 25 September 2024 . Spring Utrecht . nl-NL.
- Web site: Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond . 2023 . Alaa Minawi . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229005608/https://brakkegrond.nl/makers/269/alaa-minawi . 29 February 2024 . 25 September 2024 . brakkegrond.nl . nl.
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