About Collectif 1200
Collectif 1200 was born out of an urgency to regroup in 2020 in order to reflect and create collectively in the face of the circumstances that have reshaped their lives in Lebanon and made working individually a difficult task to carry out. It consists of photographers Rima Maroun, Roger Mokbel, Betty Ketchedjian, Myriam Boulos, Laura Menassa, Paul Gorra, Elsie Haddad, Omar Gabriel, Ieva Saudargaite Douaihi, Tarek Haddad, Manu Ferneini and Walid Nehme. Their dynamics involved exchange, support, and dialogue, which started out as regular meetings at Hammana Artist House, by an invitation from Rima Maroun, and progressively shifted towards the virtual to accommodate the dispersion of some of them as they moved out of the country.
Artist Statement
Now that we are gathered, our count is twelve. There were more people in the room when we first met. Some have left, some have joined later during the journey. Tomorrow is another day.
In a time filled with uncertainty and doubts, division and separation, we decided to turn our individual works into an open conversation.
We’re a collective of photographers, all practicing the same medium, each approaching it in their own singular and unique way. Opinions differ, time zones and schedules don’t always sync. But the structure remains the same; think, introspect, doubt, question, disagree, suggest, rethink, and most importantly, listen, get inspired, support, create.
“Echoes from a crowded room” renders public the conversations we have shared and the building process and progression of this exhibition. Acting as a sounding board, the exhibition reflects upon questions of self-representation, our place in the collective and its place in our individual practices. As the approaches, opinions, advice, progressions and reflections reverberate from one wall to another, from one photographer to another, we invite you to explore the collective and the revealing of the inner workings of our group.