In December 1986, Kufa Gallery opened in London’s Westbourne Grove. After exhibitions of Old Maps of the Arab and Islamic World (3–30 June 1987), three Europe-based Kurdish artists Walid Mustafa, Tahir Hamid and Karim Azad (15 July–8 August 1987), and an exhibition in memory of the Palestinian cartoonist Naji al Ali shortly after his assassination in London on 29 August 1987 (29 October–4 November 1987), Rose Issa dedicated an exhibition to Contemporary Lebanese Artists (15 January–24 February 1988). This exhibition took place during a period of war in Lebanon and in parallel with preparations for the landmark exhibition that was to take place at the Barbican Centre the following year, Lebanon—The Artist’s View (15 April–4 June 1989). Contemporary Lebanese Artists not only aimed to raise awareness about Lebanon’s artists and the country’s plight, but also to raise funds both for the artists and for the Lebanese Red Cross, which received part of the gallery’s commission. In this roundtable discussion, the main protagonists behind Contemporary Lebanese Artists, gallerist Rose Issa and artist Mohammad El Rawas, discuss the creation and reception of the exhibition.
