Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, esteemed filmmakers and artists, undertake a multifaceted exploration encompassing the discernment of imagery and representations, the cultivation of imaginative constructs, and the formulation of historical narratives. Their creative corpus exhibits a profound interconnection between a variety of artistic mediums, spanning photography, videography, performance art, installation, sculpture, and cinema, whether it assumes the form of documentary or fictional storytelling.
The artists have carved a distinct niche for themselves through their extended forays into research, often rooted in personal or political archives. Their pursuits are notably marked by a predilection for unveiling the vestiges of the concealed and the overlooked, shedding light on enigmatic histories, such as the unresolved disappearances during the tumultuous Lebanese Civil War, the obscure annals of a forgotten 1960s space endeavor, the bewildering repercussions of internet-based frauds and junk correspondence, and the subterranean domains of geological and archaeological phenomena within urban landscapes.
Among their most prominent works are “Circle of Confusion” (1997), “Lasting Images” (2003), “The Lebanese Rocket Society” (2011), “SCAMS” (2014), “I stared at Beauty So Much” (2016), and “Unconformities” (2017). These artistic expressions have graced the esteemed halls of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and have been the recipients of the prestigious Marcel Duchamp Prize.
Furthermore, as prolific directors, the duo has masterminded a plethora of films, often heralded and celebrated at distinguished international film festivals prior to receiving theatrical releases across the global cinematic landscape. Their cinematic oeuvre encompasses works like “Memory Box” (2021), “ISMYRNA” (2016), “The Lebanese Rocket Society: The Strange Tale of The Lebanese Space Race” (2012), which garnered multiple accolades, including the Best Documentary Award at the Doha Tribeca Festival in Qatar, “Khiam 2000-2007” (2008), “Je Veux Voir (I Want To See)” (2008), featuring the illustrious Catherine Deneuve and Rabih Mroué, “A Perfect Day (Yawmon Akhar)” (2005), which had its premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival and was honored with the Fipresci Press Prize, “The Lost Film (Al Film el Mafkoud)” (2003), and “Al Bayt el Zaher (Around the Pink House)” (1999). Notably, retrospectives of their cinematic oeuvre have been featured at prestigious institutions such as Cinematek (Brussels), Flaherty Seminar (New York), Institut Français, Mori Art Museum (Tokyo), International Film Festival of Gijon (Spain), Harvard Film Archive (Cambridge), Lincoln Center (New York), Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland), MoMA (New York), Paris Cinema, Tate Modern (London), and Visions du réel (Nyon).
In the realm of visual arts, their contributions have been enshrined in the holdings of major private and public collections, including the British Museum (London), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Fond national d’art contemporain (France), MCA Chicago, Museum of Modern Art (Paris), Sharjah Art Foundation (UAE), Solomon R Guggenheim (New York), and Victoria & Albert Museum (London). They have graced solo exhibitions at renowned venues such as the Beirut Exhibition Center (Beirut), Haus der Kunst (Munich), HOME (Manchester), IVAM (Valencia), Jeu de Paume (Paris), MIT List Visual Arts Center (Cambridge), Museum of Modern Art (Paris), Powerplant (Toronto), Sharjah Art Foundation (UAE), and Villa Arson (Nice). Their collective works have also been featured in group exhibitions in museums and art centers across the globe, spanning Ashkal Alwan (Beirut) to KW Berlin, MOMA (New York), SFMOMA (San Francisco), Red Brick Art Museum (Beijing), Singapore Art Museum, Tate Modern (London), Whitechapel Gallery (London), and ZKM (Karlsruhe). Their presence has been notable in various biennials, including Taipei, Venice, Istanbul, Lyon, Sharjah, Kochi, Gwangju, and the Paris Triennale.
Moreover, as literary contributors, Hadjithomas and Joreige have authored several publications of note, including “Two Suns in a Sunset” (Koenig Books, 2016), “The Rumors of The World: Rethinking Trust in the Age of the Internet” (Sternberg Press, 2015), “Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige” (JRP | Ringier, 2013), and “Le cinéma de Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige” (Independencia, 2013). Additionally, they have crafted artist books such as “Latent images” and “Rosascape” (2010), as well as “Beirut, Urban Fictions, Mind the Gap” (1997).
Furthermore, they are frequently invited as esteemed lecturers at esteemed academic institutions in Lebanon and Europe, including Ashkal Alwan (Beirut), HEAD (Geneva), IESAV (Beirut), Le Fresnoy Studio national des arts contemporains (France), Paris X Nanterre, and more recently, RAW Academy (Dakar). Notably, Hadjithomas served as a member of the Pedagogical Committee of the Home Workspace Program at Ashkal Alwan. Both artists are co-founders of the production company Abbout Productions with Georges Schoucair, as well as executive members of Metropolis Art Cinema and the Cinemathèque in Beirut.