An Article by A. V. (734 words, 4 min. read)
A Journey Through Saida’s Wounds and Wonders
To reach Hammam Al Jadeed, one must first walk through the dimly lit old souk of Saida. On a rainy afternoon, the journey becomes even more intimate; wet stone pavements beneath your feet, the scent of fresh herbs and fish mingling in the air, voices echoing between the narrow alleys. Then, behind a centuries-old stone door, light breaks through. From the surrounding darkness of a wounded city emerges a sanctuary of memory, culture, and art. And within it, the echoes of two stories unfold Revival and Roots, both brought to life by the brush of British artist Tom Young.
A British Heart Rooted in Lebanon
Tom Young is a British artist who chose Lebanon as his second home. First visiting the country in 2006, he returned to settle permanently in 2009, drawn by its beauty, complexity, and cultural richness. His semi-abstract paintings are born from the heart of his love for Lebanon, shaped by a deep emotional and artistic connection to its land, its people, and its layered history. Through his art, he translates lived experience into brushstrokes that blur the line between memory and imagination.
Reviving a Place of Ritual and Connection
In a city that has endured occupation, destruction, and neglect, the rebirth of Hammam Al Jadeed is an act of resistance in itself. Once a vibrant communal bathhouse, the hammam served as a social and spiritual meeting place for generations, where women gathered during the day, men came at night, and weddings and rituals were celebrated in steam and warmth.
After falling into disuse in the mid-20th century, it stood silent until 2019, when Said Bacho, with a vision for revival, opened its doors to art and history once again. With the guidance of restoration expert Omar Haidar and the creative collaboration of Tom Young, the space was transformed—stone by stone—into a living gallery of memory.
“Revival”: Painting the Past Back to Life
Revival, the first exhibition to grace the hammam, brought back its soul. Young, originally trained as an architect, was captivated by the layers of history embedded in the site. Without formal archives, he turned to oral histories; interviews with elders, personal stories, filmed testimonies. His canvases recreated moments of life once lived within those walls; rituals of cleansing, voices echoing in the steam, sunlight piercing domed ceilings. These works do not merely depict the past: they allow us to feel it.
“Roots”: A Response to War and Displacement
In contrast, Roots, his latest series unveiled in March 2025, responds to the present. It was born out of the pain of recent war in South Lebanon. These works are not just reflections of loss, but declarations of resilience. Based on real footage, including that captured by filmmaker Abdallah El Binni—originally from Saida—Young paints the destruction, but also the return. Homes bombed, people displaced, olive trees growing from rubble: each painting is an act of bearing witness.
His palette remains rich, emotional, and distinctive. We see a bombed car in Dahiyeh, a defiant woman walking through the ruins of the South, a doctor taken from a Gaza hospital, a sacred olive tree standing tall. These images are not frozen in grief; they carry with them the pulse of resistance, the breath of life.
The Art of Memory, the Memory of Art
The hammam itself becomes more than just a backdrop. It is part of the story. Its 300-year-old arches and chambers hold the light that filters through Young’s work. As you move through the space, past canvases of blurred forms and luminous colors, you are not merely looking; you are remembering, imagining, witnessing. Art becomes ritual. Memory becomes architecture.
Tom Young does not live in the hammam, but through his art, he inhabits it. He fills it with voices, gestures, and silent prayers. His paintings are not decorations, they are conversations. They speak of a Lebanon that once was, that aches in the now, and that dares to be again.
A Testament to Beauty in Ruin
In a region where too much is forgotten, Revival and Roots are acts of remembrance. They remind us that even in the depths of destruction, beauty can take root. That from shadow, light can rise. And that sometimes, art is not just about what is seen, but about what must never be lost.
