Nadim Karam is what we call a complete artist, not because of his multitude of talents (he is a sculptor, painter, urban artist, and architect), but for his insatiable passion for creation.
Considering his incredible and juxtaposing background that fuses Oriental and Japanese theories of space, Nadim Karam has managed to create something unheard of, to develop his own concepts, based on ideas like “micropluralism” and “the architecture of performance”.
Now, what does that mean, you may ask? Well, let’s think of it more as storytelling through architecture.
Nadim Karam’s creativity comes as a rescuing hand to the soullessness that some cities are affected by. Cities face the history and future of humanity day by day, which can create a disruptive look and feel. We have to start to see differences in our society as sources of enrichment, rather than of conflict.
That’s why his work focuses on re-examining these contextual issues and giving cities their own personalities, or so to speak, their dreams and thoughts.
With Atelier Hapsitus ( Hapsitus = the unpredictable outcome of choreographed hap-penings and situ-ations), founded in Beirut, he has realized urban art installations, both temporary and permanent, in cities as diverse as Melbourne, Prague, Dubai, Beirut, London, Tokyo and Nara, Japan. His projects manage to give a sense of regeneration & growth to these urban areas, a sense of belonging.
In autumn of 2018, Karam opened a private museum and work studio in Daroun called A.MUSE.UM. The working studio, which he refers to as an “inverted space,” is nestled inside a 120-year-old traditional Lebanese house that Karam purchased, a place where paintings and sculptures close to his soul are exhibited.
His work makes you stop and question your existence, your purpose and that’s what he aimed for. One of his most iconic art installations is Archaic Procession, which he exposed in Beirut 20 years ago, an apolitical act which included humanoid & animaloid shapes that could be interpreted any way you wanted.
The fact that the whole art installation would be moved in the middle of the night in different areas of the city made it feel like the urban space was communicating to its people & keeping them guessing.
You can learn more about Nadim Karam and his work on his website, here.
All images, courtesy of Nadim Karat.