Rayyane Tabet's 'La Mano de Dios' recreates Lebanese war bunker in Florence
Rayyane Tabet's first Italian solo exhibition, 'La Mano de Dios,' concludes his decade-long series 'Five Distant Memories' at the Museo Marino Marini in Florence. Curated by Leonardo Bigazzi, the installation transforms the museum's crypt into a bunker-like space using perforated bricks, a radio, overlapping voices of a sports commentator and fans, and powerful floodlights. The work references the 1986 World Cup match between Argentina and England, marked by Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal and the Falklands War tensions. Tabet connects this to his childhood in Beirut, where the match news was broadcast using the same siren used for bombing warnings. The installation recreates the bunker where he sheltered with his family, built from his architectural training. The crypt itself was used as a shelter during WWII air raids, and Tabet's intervention reveals hidden architectural details. The piece uses only sound, no images, to evoke personal and collective memory, linking local Florentine history with the Middle East conflict.
Key facts
- Rayyane Tabet is a Lebanese artist born in Ashqout in 1983.
- The exhibition is titled 'La Mano de Dios' and is curated by Leonardo Bigazzi.
- It is the fifth and final act of the series 'Five Distant Memories'.
- The installation is located in the crypt of the Museo Marino Marini in Florence.
- It uses perforated bricks, a radio, overlapping voices, and floodlights.
- The work references the 1986 World Cup match between Argentina and England.
- Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal and the Falklands War are key references.
- The crypt was used as a shelter during WWII air raids.
- The piece uses only sound, no images.
- Tabet's architectural training influenced the bunker reconstruction.
Entities
Artists
- Rayyane Tabet
- Leonardo Bigazzi
- Diego Armando Maradona
Institutions
- Museo Marino Marini
- Artribune
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Beirut
- Lebanon
- Ashqout
- Argentina
- England
- Falkland Islands