On 27 July, 2020, Galerie Tanit inaugurated the show Remains of the Last Red Rose by Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri.

On 4 August, 2020, a horrific explosion at the port of Beirut turned the city into rubble. The gallery was destroyed, and Al Kadiri’s works were buried beneath shattered glass and collapsed walls.

The project was conceived in response to the devastation that followed the explosion. The work consists of two murals divided into eighty 100 x 70 cm drawings on cardboard, painted by Al Kadiri over the course of a month. Through this work, he sought to revive the space and its neighborhood, imagining it as a tree taking root and growing from the ruins left behind by the devastation.

All proceeds directly benefited Bassma, an organization committed to rebuilding the homes of Beirutis most affected by the destruction. Through the project, 51 apartments were renovated.

This body of work is also a tribute to our friend, Jean-Marc Bonfils, architect of the East Village building, who lost his life in his apartment during the explosion. A committed advocate for the preservation and revival of Lebanon’s heritage, Bonfils played an important role in shaping Beirut and its architectural landscape. The work stands in his memory, and in memory of all those who fell victim to this tragedy.