Ricardo Mbarkho

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Ricardo Mbarkho is a Lebanese artist born in Beirut in 1974. Ricardo Mbarkho's work stems from the vibrant scene of today's global digital art practices. Mbarkho divulges alternative readings to issues pertaining to his local cultural and sociopolitical environments, where the latter's significance and information are embodied and channeled through the artist's own flux.

In his digital images as well as in his time-based work, he investigates multiple questions related to language, communication, cultural industries, history of art as well as the visual representation within the sociopolitical sphere. Mbarkho's digital images are made from texts. The artist uses the computer as a tool to mutate texts into images; the text's binary codes, those simple digits that computers use to stock information, are transposed into a unique corresponding visual. By this creative process, the shapes and colors of Ricardo Mbarkho's art are constantly unveiling new facets of the initial texts. These can be pre-existing sentences chosen by Mbarkho; or these could be tailored by the artist to feed the concept and process leading to his final artwork.

His work is presented in several festivals and exhibitions throughout the world.

Ricardo Mbarkho received his Art Diplomas from École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts and École supérieure d'études cinématographiques, Paris, and from Institut supérieur des beaux-arts, Beirut. He also completed an exchange study program at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

He lives and works in Beirut, where he is currently teaching art at the Académie libanaise des beaux-arts - University of Balamand.

Solo show selection

• Fine Pixels, Galerie Mark Hachem, Beirut. 2012
• [Since Art], microARTos, Contemporary Art Center, Madrid. 2009

Group show selection

• X-Perimental X-Hibition, Maqam & Istoria galleries, Beirut, 2012
• La Fête de l'Internet 2012, Museaav, Nice, 2012
• Visual Art Forum II, Beirut, 2011
• La Fête de l'Internet 2011, Museaav, Nice, 2011
• Visual Art Forum I, Beirut, 2010. Winner of the Prize of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture for the Contemporary Arts
• Politique 0, Espace Niemeyer, Paris, 2010
• Experimental Exhibition, Lebanese Artists Association (LAA GAllery), Beirut, 2010
• Crea Numerica, Piece Unique gallery, Beirut, 2009
• Image : Fixe, Mobile, Animée, Centre Culturel Français, Beirut, 2009
• Nuit Blanche, Dawwar el Shams (The Sunflower), Beirut, 2008
• Biennale de Paris XV, 2006-2008
• Lebanon Now. Lebanese Artists Association (LAA GAllery), Beirut, 2008
• Goethe-Institut, Beirut, 2007
• INGAN II, Berlin, 2004
• Biennale de Paris XIV, Espace SD, Beirut, 2004
• Journées Méditerranéennes des Arts Plastiques, Sousse Cultural Center, Sousse, 2003
• L'art c'est secondaire, École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 2002
• La Fête de l'Internet 2000, La Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris, 2000
• Each one has from art what art has from itself, Ghislain Mollet-Viéville, Paris, 1999

Art Fairs

• Contemporary Istanbul, Galerie Mark Hachem, Istanbul, 2011
• MENASART Fair, Galerie Mark Hachem, Beirut, 2011
• artParis AbuDhabi, Galerie Epreuve d'Artiste, Abu Dhabi, 2008

Art Auction

• Toufoula Charity Art Auction, Beirut, 2012

Festivals and Video Screenings selection

• Art Video Exchange, in collaboration with Small Projects Gallery, Tromsø, 2012
• Art Video Exchange at Atopia, Oslo, 2011
• Les Vagamondes Festival, Evry, 2009
• Festival International d’Art Vidéo de Casablanca, Casablanca, 2009
• Festival International Signes de Nuit Paris, Paris, 2009
• Festival VIDEOFORMES, Clermont-Ferrand, 2009
• Festival International Signes de Nuit Paris, at the REJECT Festival, Rotterdam, 2009
• Festival INVIDEO, Milano, 2008
• 21th Instants Video Festival, Marseille, 2008
• Oslo Screen Festival, Oslo, 2008
• LiteSide Festival, Westergasfabriek Amsterdam, 2008
• LOOP'08 Festival, Barcelona, 2008
• International Festival Sarajevo Winter "Barricades without borders", Video-Salon 3 at the galerie10m2, Sarajevo, 2008
• transmediale, Berlin, Germany, 2008
• Goethe-Institut, Beirut, 2005
• 1er festival télé-jeunes en francophonie, at the Cinémathèque Québécoise, Montréal, 2004
• Festival International Signes de Nuit Paris, Le Batofar, Paris, 2004
• Festival International Signes de Nuit Paris, Cinema Black Box, Düsseldorf, 2004
• Festival International Signes de Nuit Paris, Le Cube, Issy-les-Moulineaux, 2004
• Festival International Signes de Nuit Paris, at the European Film Festival, Ankara-Bursa-Izmir, 2004
• Festival International Signes de Nuit Paris, Cinema Balzac, Paris, 2003

References

1. Ricardo Mbarkho : Des pixels ou les improbables flots d’émotions by Alain Tasso, May 2012
2. CONFERENCES ON THE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET - WJ-SPOTS, June 10, 2011
3. Leonardo Electronic Almanac (LEA), 2011
4. Video portrait of Ricardo Mbarkho, by Gabriel Soucheyre, Director of VIDEOFORMES, October 2010
5. TURBULENCES VIDÉO #69 by VIDEOFORMES, October 2010
6. Art et Internet by Fred Forest, Ed. Cercle d'Art, 2008. P 19 and PP 64-65

TV Interviews selection

• TL 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyatKwf4SQ&feature=g-all-u
• Future TV 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJtJnGvv0ew&feature=g-all-u
• OTV 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnH08x6HDG0&feature=relmfu
• LBCI 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SS1hRdhUSw&feature=g-all-u
• TL 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZSbrZTeOLE&feature=g-all-u
• OTV 2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3vTQncStyk&feature=g-all-u
• Al Hurra TV 2008, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CNxshObjY0&feature=g-all-u

External links

• www.ricardombarkho.com, Personal Website of Ricardo Mbarkho
• Digital images by Ricardo Mbarkho
• CONNECTED, online artwork by Ricardo Mbarkho
• VISITORS, online artwork by Ricardo Mbarkho
• Galerie Mark Hachem, representing Ricardo Mbarkho
• www.facebook.com/ricardombarkho, Facebook page of Ricardo Mbarkho