From Oct 23 to 7 Nov 2013, I was honoured to participate to collective exhibition of 20 artists to support an awareness program about trauma and mental illness in Lebanon. The exhibition was an initiative of Embrace Fund and the American University Of Beirut Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry.

"On one wall of the venue, a photograph by Melkan Bassil, entitled “Urban Totem,” has been hung, capturing a bird’s eye view of Beirut’s streets, mirrored to create a double image. Around it a multiplicity of photocopies has been scotch-taped to the wall. Each sheet bares a visitor to the exhibition’s interpretation of the photograph and the city.

This exercise showcases diversity, demonstrating how each person has his or her own perception of things. Even Azad and this reporter played their roles and drew their own vision. The totem – being the city – has been revisited and interpreted by each person coming in to the space.

“The artwork educates in an interactive ... way,” Azad observed. He also explained that mental illness is not exclusively subjective, since the environment plays a large role as well."  - A review about the exhibition on The Daily Star / Article by Cerine Lahoud