Breath is Tide | نَفَس مَدّ وجَزْر

An Opening Breath for the Upcoming Art Explora Festival
& Celebration of Ten Years of TAP

“We Breathe, and in Breathing Together, We Resist”

Breath is Tide is a four days program for the opening breath to the Art Explora Festival, and to celebrate TAP (Temporary Art Platform)’s 10-year anniversary. 

Although the Lebanese stopover of the Art Explora Festival’s museum-boat was postponed to 2027 due to the recent war, this special four-day program will still unfold in Beirut as a gesture of solidarity with the local art scene.

Breath is the starting point, both the first and most universal phenomenon of the living. This theme emerges from the literal suffocations of recent months and the overlapping health, social, political, and environmental crises that have compromised our ability to breathe. It emphasizes the critical role of art and culture as vital breathing spaces and underscores the urgent need to bring them into the public realm, reclaiming the commons and affirming, as a first right, our right to breathe in the city.

A commission almost seven years in the making at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) – Halim and Aida Daniel Academic and Clinical Center (ACC) will finally be unveiled—exploring the intersection of art and healthcare, where breath is measured, monitored, fought for.

Artists: Ghida Hachicho, Yara Boustany, Ahmad Ghossein, Raed Yassine, PRAED, Chamoun/Sahyoun/Atoui, Cherine Yazbeck, Gian Spina, Annabel Daou, Nathalie Harb, Zeina Aboul Hosn, Tamara Al-Samerraei, Catherine Cattaruzza, Hatem Imam, Lara Tabet, Rayya Badran, Zeina Badran, Nadim Mishlawi, Sharif Sehnaoui, Mohamad Abdouni.

Locations: Karantina Public Park, Metropolis, Beirut Art Center, Sursock Museum, Lebanese National Library, Metro Al Madina, and Beirut Riverless Forest.

With the support of the French Institute Beirut, Instituto Cervantes, and the Spanish Consulate. Special thanks to Elmir – Brewery for the refreshments.