An Article by A. V. (748 words, 4 min. read)
Anachar Basbous’ latest exhibition, Fragments of the Black Moon, transforms the elegant space of Saleh Barakat Gallery into a sculptural landscape where whispers of stones interact with light and shadow. The gallery’s open design provide the perfect setting for Basbous’ work, allowing each piece to breathe and assert its presence. The exhibition feels both monumental and intimate, with freestanding sculptures and wall-based reliefs creating a dialogue between solidity and fragmentation, structure and erosion.
Anachar Basbous: A Life in Sculpture
Born in 1969 in Rachana, Lebanon, Anachar Basbous grew up surrounded by art. His father, Michel Basbous, was a pioneering sculptor who helped turn their village into an open-air museum of contemporary sculpture. His mother, a writer and poet, fostered an environment of creativity and intellectual engagement. “I was born in a field of sculptures,” he says, recalling a childhood spent climbing stone forms and playing among his father’s monumental works.
Basbous pursued his studies in Beirut before continuing in Paris at ENSAAMA, where he specialized in architectural wall design. Upon returning to Lebanon in 1992, he established his own workshop in Rachana, carrying forward the family legacy while developing his own artistic language. His sculptures, found in public and private collections across the world, reflect a deep engagement with material and form, blending architectural structure with organic transformation.
Material and Form: The Language of Stone and Concrete
At Saleh Barakat Gallery, Basbous’ mastery of stone and concrete is on full display. His sculptures are not static objects but dynamic explorations of weight, texture, and space. One of the most striking pieces in the exhibition is a spherical stone sculpture punctured with intricate, honeycomb-like cavities. The surface appears eroded by time, yet its composition is deliberate, a careful balance between solid and void.
Basbous’ approach to sculpture goes beyond traditional forms. He shapes materials in a way that makes them seem in motion, as if frozen in a moment of transformation. His technique highlights both the resilience and fragility of his chosen materials, allowing light and air to pass through dense stone, revealing the tension between mass and permeability.
The Black Wall Sculptures: A Dialogue with Space
Equally powerful are the black relief sculptures mounted on the gallery walls. These works, composed of layered fragments, resemble remnants of architectural structures—ruins reconfigured into abstract compositions. Their dark surfaces absorb light, creating a stark contrast with the freestanding sculptures that seem almost weightless in comparison.
These wall-based works introduce a more painterly dimension to Basbous’ practice, where form is not only carved but arranged, layered, and constructed. As art historian Amy Todman observes, they “provide a moment of poignant reflection, a liminal space from which to see from the outside in, from above or from below.” They invite the viewer to step closer, to engage with their depth, to lose themselves in their intricate details.
The Power of Space: Saleh Barakat Gallery as a Setting
The architecture of Saleh Barakat Gallery plays a crucial role in shaping the experience of Fragments of the Black Moon. The gallery’s high ceilings and open layout create an environment where Basbous’ sculptures can be fully appreciated. The interplay between the works and their surroundings enhances their impact, allowing the viewer to experience them from multiple perspectives.
The careful curation of the exhibition ensures that each piece has room to command attention while maintaining a dialogue with the others. The contrast between the freestanding stone works and the wall sculptures creates a rhythm that moves through the space, reinforcing Basbous’ themes of transformation and material tension.
A Monumental yet Intimate Experience
Fragments of the Black Moon is more than an exhibition; it is an exploration of form, material, and space. Basbous’ ability to manipulate stone and concrete, to create structures that feel both permanent and ephemeral, is a testament to his mastery of sculpture. “My sculptures are not about capturing a fixed moment,” he explains, “but about expressing the forces of change, the erosion of time, and the balance between presence and absence.”
Ultimately, Fragments of the Black Moon captures a sense of quiet monumentality. Basbous constructs not just sculptures but moments of reflection—spaces where time slows, and the weight of material carries an unexpected poetry.
The exhibition offers a moment of reflection, where the weight of material and the lightness of form coexist, inviting viewers to lose themselves in the beauty of stone, the rhythm of space, and the quiet power of transformation.
