The exhibition is arranged in the shape of an octagon, and is laid out across eight distinct rooms each featuring a chapter from “Beirut Octet: a generation’s journey of resilience & faith” as well as its relevant artwork.

The eight chambers invite participants to a temporal loop that cyclically traverses the transition of a whole generation’s hopes, aspirations, fears and disappointments. The design builds on histories of the octagon as a long held symbol for resurrection, renewal, rebirth, regeneration and transition in which participants are actively invited to square the circle, as physicality gives way to a spirituality in both self and artwork alike.

In this most recent body of work, Afaf Zurayk invites us to join her in a cathartic journey of painting, poetic prose, and poetry. The journey mirrors the history of a city and of a generation that have borne the brunt of tragic events for decades, most poignantly epitomized in the horrific Beirut port blast of August 4, 2020. Through a narration of being and of witnessing, her art describes the conquest of trust, faith, and resilience over disappointment, alienation, and misfortune.