Why an artist made 300 fragile replicas of Israeli weapons used in Lebanon
Lebanese-Canadian researcher and artist Elias Nafaa has not witnessed first-hand the ongoing violence that Israel has unleashed on Palestine and Lebanon since 2023, instead watching warheads descend in social media videos and numbers multiply on news segments. Over the past few years, Nafaa began to reflect on the nature of violence, how wars are documented and the emotional cost sometimes…
Lebanese-Canadian researcher and artist Elias Nafaa has created an exhibition called "Handle with Care" at Muzeu – Thought & Contemporary Art in Braga, Portugal. The show features 300 fragile replicas of Israeli weapons used in Lebanon since 2023. Nafaa, who has not witnessed the violence firsthand, reflected on the nature of war, violence, and information-driven headlines.
He based the resin casts on six families of aerial munitions, translating their forms into fragile materials to highlight their vulnerability. The exhibition aims to change the power dynamic by presenting the weapons as fragile, while the accompanying soundscape by Lebanese artist Cynthia Zaven layers the buzzing of drones, low-flying aircraft, and artillery strikes.
The project also includes detailed information about the types of weaponry, their documented use in Lebanon, and mapping data to show the disparity in weapon type damage. Nafaa intends to continue the project with more research and new mediums, exploring the relationship between violence and diplomatic language in the region.
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