“Fragments of Beirut” hit this Algerian artist

The world has shown its solidarity with people of Lebanon, each his own way, whether by donating, volunteering or painting, as Beirut blast on Tuesday 4 August didn’t just affect the Lebanese capital but the whole world.  The Algerian artist, Abdelhalim Kebieche, expressed his solidarity with Beirut in a creative way.

Titled "Fragments of Beirut", the Algerian visual artist portrayed a bloody painting reflecting the tragedy of Beirut after the huge blast. He showed Beirut’s port with wrecked buildings surrounding it, fire, smoke and blood coming out of it. Kebieche added a little detail that made the painting itself look as if it was bleeding. Also, the Algerian artist made sure to be part of his “Fragments of Beirut| painting, as he showed up as part of the terrific scene, laying on the ground in front of the painting as if the explosion hit him as well in Algeria, as an expression of his solidarity with the Lebanese.

In an interview with” Al-Araby Al-Jadeed”, Abdelhalim said that he named the painting “Fragments of Beirut”, as a way to tell Lebanese people that “a fragment from Beirut blast reached Algeria, went inside my workshop, and hit me too. It is a confirmation that the homeland that unites us including beautiful cities, such as Beirut, no matter how far away it is, its pain is ours.”

On a side note, the Algerian visual artist, Abdelhalim Kebieche, obtained a postgraduate degree in 1998 in oil painting, and he was also part of local and international art competitions with his paintings.