Nadim Karam Explained

Nadim Karam
Nationality:Lebanese
Birth Date:1957
Birth Place:Kaolack, Senegal
Practice:Atelier Hapsitus Nadim Karam

Nadim Karam (Arabic: نديم كرم); (born 1957) is a multidisciplinary Lebanese artist and architect[1] who fuses his artistic output with his background in architecture to create large-scale urban art projects in different cities of the world. He uses his vocabulary of forms in urban settings to narrate stories and evoke collective memory with a very particular whimsical, often absurdist approach; seeking to 'create moments of dreams' in different cities of the world.

Early life and education

Nadim Karam grew up in Beirut. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the American University of Beirut in 1982, at the height of the Lebanese civil war, and left the same year to study in Japan on a Monbusho scholarship. At the University of Tokyo he developed an interest in Japanese philosophy of space, which he studied under Hiroshi Hara, and was also taught by Fumihiko Maki and Tadao Ando. He created several solo art performances and exhibitions in Tokyo while completing master and doctorate degrees in architecture.

Teaching

Nadim Karam taught at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo in 1992 with Riichi Miyake and then returned to Beirut to create his experimental group, Atelier Hapsitus. The name, derived from the combination of Hap (happenings) and Situs (situations), comes from Karam's enjoyment of the fact that the encounter of these two factors often gives rise to the unexpected. He taught architectural design at the American University of Beirut (1993-5, 2003–4), and was Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design at Notre Dame University in Lebanon from 2000 to 2003. He co-chaired in 2002 the UN/New York University conference in London for the reconstruction of Kabul and was selected as the curator for Lebanon by the first Rotterdam Biennale.[2] From 2006 to 2007 he served on the Moutamarat Design Board for Dubai[3] and regularly gives lectures at universities and conferences worldwide.

Urban art projects

With Atelier Hapsitus, the pluri-disciplinary company he founded in Beirut, he created large-scale urban art projects in different cities including Beirut, Prague, London, Tokyo, Nara and Melbourne. His project for Prague's Manes Bridge in the spring of 1997 was both a commemoration of the city's post-communist liberalization and an echo of its history, with the placement of his works in parallel to the baroque sculptures on the Charles Bridge. The post-civil war 1997–2000 itinerant urban art project he created for central Beirut was one of five worldwide selected by the Van Alen Institute[4] in New York in 2002 to highlight the role they played in the rejuvenation of city life and morale after a disaster. In Japan, 'The Three flowers of Jitchu' realized at Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara in 2004, was a temporary installation commemorating the achievements of a Middle Eastern monk, Jitchu, whose performance is still enacted yearly since the year 752 in the temple he designed for it. Karam's project took 20 years to gain acceptance from the Tōdai-ji Temple authorities.His 2006 Victoria State commission The Travellers[5] a permanent art installation of ten sculptures which travel across Melbourne's Sandridge Bridge three times daily, tells the story of Australian immigrants and creates an urban clock in the city.

Selected public art installations

Architectural work

Nadim Karam is mainly known for his conceptual work, like 'Hilarious Beirut', the 1993 post-war anti-establishment project for the reconstruction of Beirut city centre, and 'The Cloud',[11] a huge public garden resembling a raincloud that stands at 250 m above ground. Inspired by the city of Dubai, it proposes a visual and social alternative to the exclusivity of the skyscrapers in Gulf cities. Karam's signature un-built projects include the 'Net Bridge'[12] a pedestrian bridge conceived as a gateway to Beirut city centre from the marina, with five lanes that playfully intersect and interweave. Similarly, his winning design of a competition for the BLC Bank headquarters[13] for Beirut features the new headquarters straddling the old. Karam collaborates closely with Arup Engineers in London, who give structural and technical reality to his most unusual ideas.

Ongoing projects

The Dialogue of the Hills[14] is an urban art project conceived to invigorate the historic core of Amman through a series of public gardens and sculpture for each hill community. The sculptures are designed to create a dialogue with the others on the surrounding hills of the city, physically and visually linking diverse socio-economic communities. The Wheels of Chicago[15] is a project inspired by the city where the Ferris wheel was invented.

Art works

Selected solo exhibitions

Selected group exhibitions

Awards

Publications

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The phoenix of Beirut: Nadim Karam's urban interventions Boston Society of Architects. www.architects.org. 2015-07-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190525172304/https://www.architects.org/news/phoenix-beirut-nadim-karam%25E2%2580%2599s-urban-interventions. 25 May 2019. dead.
  2. Web site: Architect looks for 'a room with a view'. 2015-07-29. www.dailystar.com.
  3. Web site: Dubai to Host Global Design Forum. www.arabnews.com. 14 March 2006. 2015-07-29.
  4. Book: Information Exchange ARTBOOK D.A.P. 2003 Catalog Van Alen Institute Books Exhibition Catalogues 9780972553520. www.artbook.com. 2015-07-29.
  5. Web site: Stainless steel 'Travellers' mark journey of migration. www.assda.asn.au.
  6. Web site: Nadim Karam. desertx.org.
  7. https://digikrant.limburger.nl/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?edid=910022d3-d553-431e-a99f-ee4d87f65dc7 'Week in Beeld'
  8. Web site: 3 July 2017. Nissan unveils "Wheels of Innovation" sculpture. Nissan-global.com.
  9. Web site: Stretching Thoughts' Sculptures . 26 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160826041850/http://www.atlanticcollege.org/news/2016/06/09/stretching-thoughts-sculptures/ . 26 August 2016 . dead . atlanticcollege.org.
  10. Web site: Fantasy by Design | CapitaLand. capitaland.com.
  11. Web site: The Cloud by Atelier Hapsitus. Dezeen. 14 June 2007. 2015-07-29.
  12. Web site: Net Bridge by Atelier Hapsitus. Dezeen. 29 June 2007. 2015-07-29.
  13. Web site: BLC Headquarters by Atelier Hapsitus. Dezeen. 23 August 2010. 2015-07-29.
  14. Web site: The Dialogue of the Hills, Amman/Jordan by Nadim Karam & Atelier Hapsitus. 2015-07-29. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130920050051/http://architecturelab.net/2011/07/the-dialogue-of-the-hills-ammanjordan-by-nadim-karam-atelier-hapsitus/. 20 September 2013. dmy-all.
  15. Web site: Architects Design 'Wheels of Chicago' Surrounding Navy Pier. 25 January 2013. 2015-07-29.
  16. Web site: Tales of the City: Artist Nadim Karam on being inspired by his return to his native Beirut after the war. https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072131/https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/tales-of-the-city-artist-nadim-karam-on-being-inspired-by-his-return-to-his-native-beirut-after-the-war-1.10163 . dead . 22 January 2018 . 13 May 2017.
  17. Web site: Brady. Anna. 11 May 2017. Nadim Karam's London Show. Harper's Bazaar Arabia.
  18. Web site: Nadim Karam's 'Urban Stories' at The Fine Art Society London . 26 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180311204721/http://in.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/2161379/nadim-karams-urban-stories-at-the-fine-art-society-london . 11 March 2018 . dead . in.blouinartinfo.com.
  19. Web site: Smyth. Gareth. 19 February 2016. Nadim Karam, unfazed by Lebanon's crises, returns home to shout.. Arab weekly. 26 July 2017. 7 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210407100502/https://thearabweekly.com/nadim-karam-unfazed-lebanons-crises-returns-home-shout. dead.
  20. Web site: Selected galleries at Artnet. 2021-07-12. www.artnet.de.
  21. Web site: 99 Objects Possible to Find on a Cloud . timeoutdubai.com. 22 October 2013.
  22. Web site: Nadim Karam. Urban Zoo. 19 July 2013.
  23. Web site: Ayyam Gallery - Nadim Karam in Conversation with FT Architecture Critic Edwin Heathcote. www.youtube.com.
  24. Web site: Cultural links . Rachel. ft.com. Spence. 11 January 2013.
  25. Web site: Urban Toys, Urban Joys. Sothebys. 29 January 2013.
  26. News: Ayyam Gallery, London challenges perceptions of Arabic art. https://web.archive.org/web/20140908075437/http://www.euronews.com/2013/01/30/ayyam-gallery-london-challenges-perceptions-of-arabic-art/. 2014-09-08. euronews.com. 30 January 2013.
  27. Web site: Nadim Karam & Atelier Hapsitus, Lebanon . 21 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054052/http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/nafas/articles/2008/creek_art_fair/photos/14_hapsitus . 4 March 2016 . dead . universes-in-universe.org.
  28. Web site: Art Dubai 2016. 5 March 2016. saudigazette.com.sa.
  29. Web site: Contemporary Art in Dubai. 6 April 2016. timesofoman.com.
  30. Web site: Nadim Karam. 6 June 2015. life.executive-magazine.com.
  31. Web site: Nadim Karam's Stretching Thoughts at Shanghai JISP Biennale . 26 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161218191446/http://almahhart.com/nadim-karams-stretching-thoughts-at-shanghai-jisp-biennale/ . 18 December 2016 . dead . almahhart.com.
  32. Web site: Nadim Karam - Trio Elephants. www.youtube.com.
  33. Web site: Anglès. Daphné. 2012-12-04. Contemporary Art From the Arab World, Not All of It Political. 2021-07-12. IHT Rendezvous. en-US.
  34. Web site: 25 ans de créativité arabe – Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris). William. Navarrete. 22 October 2012.
  35. News: Lebanese art showcases rich and complex history. https://web.archive.org/web/20181105200234/https://www.euronews.com/2011/11/08/lebanese-art-showcases-rich-and-complex-history. 2018-11-05. 8 November 2011. euronews.com.
  36. Web site: Chatsworth Beyond Limits Sculpture Exhibition 2011. 18 September 2011.
  37. Web site: 9 September 2011. Chatsworth House 'Beyond Limits' sculpture exhibition. Telegraph.co.uk.
  38. http://webfea.fea.aub.edu.lb/feasc/2011/PDFs/Nadim_Karam.pdf{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  39. Web site: Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting & Domain Names from Heart Internet. booth-clibborn.com.
  40. Web site: ARKIMEET - Speakers - Nadim Karam. www.arkimeet.com.
  41. Web site: Artdaily. Ayyam Gallery opens gallery space in London with exhibition by Lebanese artist and architect Nadim Karam. 2021-07-12. artdaily.cc. English.
  42. Web site: Nadim Karam: *Shooting the Cloud at Ayyam Gallery | Exhibition review. Eleanor. MacFarlane.
  43. Web site: Shooting the Cloud. https://web.archive.org/web/20210421032240/http://www.reorientmag.com/2013/02/nadim-karam-shooting-the-cloud/. 2021-04-21. Rima Chahrour. 6 February 2013. reorientmag.com.
  44. Web site: Ayyam Gallery opens gallery space in London with exhibition by Lebanese artist and architect Nadim Karam . 21 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002453/http://www.allartnews.com/ayyam-gallery-opens-gallery-space-in-london-with-exhibition-by-lebanese-artist-and-architect-nadim-karam/ . 4 March 2016 . dead . allartnews.com.
  45. Web site: Nadim Karam. Urban Toys. www.domusweb.it.
  46. Web site: CURVE Magazine - Art, Architecture, Design, Lifestyle. www.curve-magazine.com.
  47. Web site: From Middle East to London … Much Love & Art!. Mashaael. Basheer. 22 January 2013.
  48. Web site: The pearl elephant by NadimKaram. www.artnet.com.
  49. Web site: Australia Urban Design Awards 2006 - Urban Design Forum. udf.org.au.

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