Ali Dirani
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Ali Dirani (born 1986 in Ryak, Bekaa, Lebanon) is a Lebanese graphic and visual artist, musician and drummer.
Education
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Ali_dirani_paiting.jpg/220px-Ali_dirani_paiting.jpg)
He graduated from the Fine Arts Institute of the Lebanese University and held his first solo exhibition, "FRONT ROW", at the age of 24. This art exhibition consisted of nitrocellulose on canvas and neo-realism. It introduced 11 works with a conceptual approach.
Career
[edit]Dirani worked as an art director for independent projects, production houses and commercial companies. Specifically, he made video clips and commercial adverts with City Film, Signature, MBC, macchina, Saatchi and Saatchi, Leo Burnett and other production houses, collectives and companies.
The artist worked on the scenography of the opening show of the 25th Al Janadriyah festival. The concept was to create an authentic looking desert fused with a wide theatre edged with Arabesque patterns. It included a gigantic moving falcon and a helicopter in true scale. The artist worked along with Italian international art directors who are involved in cinematic scenography and are collaborators of award-winning movies such as Star Wars and Gangs of New York.[citation needed]
Solo exhibition: Front Row
[edit]Ali Dirani's first solo exhibition, Front Row, confronts local affairs with no holds barred. The exhibition includes his airbrushed pieces like "Statut Social" and an adaptation of the statue on Martyrs' Square.[1] Dirani designed his adaptation statue with a gun in her hand, criticising the country's sense of national pride approach.[2]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Status_social_-_Ali_Dirani_paintings.jpg/220px-Status_social_-_Ali_Dirani_paintings.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Passion_Show_-_Ali_Dirani_painting.jpg/220px-Passion_Show_-_Ali_Dirani_painting.jpg)
Music
[edit]Dirani is a professional dub and jazz drummer and percussionist.
Al Janadriyah Festival
[edit]Dirani worked on the scenography of the opening show of the 25th Janadriyah festival. The concept was to create an authentic-looking desert fused with a wide theatre with Arabesque patterned edges. It included a gigantic moving falcon and a helicopter in true scale. The artist worked along with Italian international art directors who are involved in cinematic scenography and conducted a high number of awarded movies such as Star Wars and Gangs of New York.[3]
Anti-sectarian campaign in Lebanon
[edit]Dirani is an activist in the anti-sectarian campaign in Lebanon. In his interview with the Daily Star, he said "sectarian political leaders are trying to take advantage of the movement and adopt it, under their principles, but we have rejected such acts."
"If they believe that [our cause] is just, let them resign from their parties and they will be more than welcomed with us as ordinary members," he said.[4][5]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Ali_Dirani_in_the_anti_confessional_demonstration_in_Lebanon.jpg/220px-Ali_Dirani_in_the_anti_confessional_demonstration_in_Lebanon.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Les_Notres-_Ali_dirani_Paintings_-_150-150cm.jpg/220px-Les_Notres-_Ali_dirani_Paintings_-_150-150cm.jpg)
Comic series
[edit]Ali Dirani published a comic series in Al Samandal magazine[6] called "Musba7", where he put local conventions and traditions into question.[7]
Triangulated City
[edit]Dirani was an associate member of the Triangulated City. The Triangulated City is a live art event that investigates notions of exchange within the urban environment through the secrets, rumours, messages, myths and memories circulating in a city. Zoukak Theatre Company and Cultural Association hosted Lotos Collective (London/New York) and in collaboration with invited participants, devised the project through a series of participatory workshops.
Over three days, in three locations, three performances unfolded simultaneously each evening. The audience navigated the city to visit each of the sites, thus utilising the urban landscape as staging. Utilising a multi-disciplinary approach, each specific site was transformed into a place of artistic encounter, creating an opportunity for workshop participants to develop and expand their artistic interest. The workshops was a place to meet a broad range of creative people and together share, think and expand upon our perceptions of the cityscape. Through our own stories, memories, and urban legends we explored the geographical and geopolitical movement of narrative through the streets of Beirut, illuminating a new relationship and perspective to the urban milieu. Triangulated City encouraged participants and spectators to view the city as an artistic canvas, with each specific location a place of dialogue and encounter.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ali Dirani dynamite la toile". www.lorientlejour.com. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Your ultimate guide to Beirut". Timeoutbeirut.com. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "الجنادرية - الرئيسية". Archived from the original on 18 March 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ Monzer, Ashraf. "Activists gear up for second anti-sectarian rally". The Daily Star. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ "ซีรี่ย์จีนออนไลน์". Online series. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "About Us – Samandal Comics". Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "La revue Samandal (Liban) : histoires d'ici et d'ailleurs – Takam Tikou". Takamtikou.fr. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "Zoukak". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.