The Lebanese state only supplies electricity for a few hours per day and frequent blackouts are a common issue for the country’s people. This situation has only gotten worse due to economic collapse and the recent Israeli war on Lebanon. Artist Tania El Khoury and historian Ziad Abu-Rish have sought to uncover the roots of the issue. They visited the public institutions of various different countries and collected official documents and records where they learned that Lebanon’s electricity—indispensable to civic life—has been affected by the struggle for hegemony between Western nations as well as large corporations that are in pursuit of profit. The work in this exhibition begins with a lecture-performance set at a banquet one night and progresses as a sound installation that makes use of the space. From the table, you can truly sense the lives of these individuals which keeps on going in the darkness even as their light is stolen by those in power.

Tania El Khoury & Ziad Abu-Rish

The Search for Power

Venue: Kyoto City University of Arts Art Gallery

Dates: October 10 – November 16, 2025

Closed on: November 4, 10

Photo by Elina Giounanli