The personal collection of Saadallah Wannous. ETEL ADNAN SYMPOSIUM:
“in the night in the night we shall find knowledge love and peace"
American University of Beirut
IFI Auditorium (Basile Antoine Meguerdiche Conference Hall)
Feb. 23-24, 2023
Description:
In homage to Etel Adnan, this symposium brings together academic research with personal testimonies and cultural practices to explore her life and work across languages, cultures, and exiles. Born in Beirut in 1925 to a Greek Christian mother from Smyrna and an Arab Muslim father from Damascus who served as an officer in the Ottoman Empire, Etel Adnan's life has its beginnings in the aftermath of World War I and spanned almost a century. She received significant international acclaim as a visual artist over the past decade for work in a range of mediums, including painting, drawing and tapestry. However, she was also a powerful master of words, experimenting in a wide array of forms – as a journalist, novelist, essayist, activist, and poet philosopher. All of her work is deeply grounded in a humanistic approach, embracing the universe in critical yet joyful and visionary ways.
This symposium is accompanied by an exhibition of Etel Adnan's private papers, which she generously bequeathed to the American University of Beirut, film screenings, a staged reading, and a music concert.
For further information, please contact Sonja Mejcher-Atassi at sm78@aub.edu.lb.