Serotonin, Benzine, and a Renegade Body: Marfa' Projects Exhibition on Lebanon's Collapse

Marfa' Projects presents 'Serotonin, Benzine, and a Renegade Body,' an exhibition by an unnamed artist featuring works that chronicle Lebanon's ongoing collapse since 2019. The show includes a video titled 'So your heart aches, huh? or The Pit,' which explores the artist's obsession with hormones like dopamine and oxytocin as a coping mechanism amid the country's crises. Another piece, 'How to Make your Money Sell,' uses sliced Lebanese Pound bills rendered worthless by the financial collapse, dedicated to a friend who lost his retirement savings. The exhibition also references a previous work by Marwan Richmaoui, 'Beirut Caoutchouc,' which was destroyed in the 2020 Beirut port explosion. A fragment of that artwork, found in the home of collector Henry Salloum, is incorporated into the show. Salloum, who owned the piece, left Lebanon after the blast. The artist's statement describes the body as a 'supreme god' that limits the mind, reflecting the physical and psychological toll of the crisis. The exhibition timeline oscillates between the 2019 uprising and the ongoing collapse, presenting a fragmented view of Beirut.