Beirut is one of these places on Earth doomed to collapse over a longer period of time. From “the Paris of the Middle East” to the derelict place it has become after a civil war of 15 years, multiple invasions of their Southern neighbour, the rise of a friendly group of bearded men, a massive explosion and other small details. Beirutopia is an intriguing presentation by Lebanese photographer Randa Mirza, exploring Beirut’s transformation over the last two decades. Grouped in eight series, the exhibition mixes truth and fiction to reflect on violence, loss, and resilience as experienced by the inhabitants of that city. In “Cycle of Violence”, we are confronted to the city’s ongoing conflicts, in “Rise & Fall”, to Lebanon’s economic collapse and the fading myth of Beirut as a cosmopolitan world city. Randa Mirza shows us her Beirut with abandoned rooms and places, the remains of the harbour explosion, tourists in a parallel universe parading in front of militia men and explosions, and real estate paradise-like pictures of the Beirut that could have been. All in all, a sobering visit of the capital of Lebanon.
