Alice Mogabgab Gallery in Beirut celebrated the centenary of the creation of Greater Lebanon through a series of exhibitions by photo artist Houda Kassatly, who documented through her pictures Lebanese heritage, landscape and customs that have been damaged by wars and neglected in the post-war developments. The series “From the End of Civil War till the Hirak; the Abused Heritage; Architecture, Environment, Refugees” covers 40 years of Kassatly’s work through 365 photos spread across five exhibitions.

Her art reflects the architectural splendors of Beirut and Tripoli, the ecological wealth of the Lebanese fauna to the rocky beach of Dalieh in Beirut and the difficult lives of Palestinian and Syrian refugees. “I wanted to convey a message of hope through Houda’s work,” said gallery owner Alice Mogabgab. “The photos of old houses and the nature that have been damaged from neglect and inconsistent development are not meant to make people sad but to show the people that we have treasures in Lebanon and we need to do something to preserve them.”

The exhibition attracted many influential and social figures including businessman Hamad Al Wazzan who personally attended the opening of the third episode of the series, called Tripoli of the Orient, Plural City. “Even though my work often takes me all over the world, I still feel a deep rooted connection to Lebanon and I am very pleased to be here supporting the arts specially as we celebrate the history of this great country and the breathtaking sceneries it offers”, he added.

Since the start of her photography career in 1978, photographer Houda Kassatly has made it her mission to highlight Lebanon’s cultural and environmental heritage, both of which are constantly abandoned and ruined. “It is a fact that my work constitutes an essential testimony, on both scientific and artistic levels, a work that deeply questions, challenges and tests a public who has surrendered to the constant need of reconstruction”, she said. “In 2020, the country is far away from the initial vision of its founding fathers 100 years ago and my art sheds the light on this very sharp contrast, between today’s grieving realities and celebrated past”, concluded the artist.