PRESS RELEASE
Samandal Comics Magazine
Launching of Issue One of Samandal Comics Magazine
Beirut, March 28, 2008 – xanadu* is hosting a launch event for “Samandal Comics Magazine, Issue One”, a collection of comics illustrated by both Lebanese and international artists. A work in the making for over a year now, Samandal has now released Issue One, published by xanadu*, with the intent to continue issuing quarterly.
Samandal is a magazine dedicated to comics, based in Beirut, that has participating contributors from all over the world. The goal of Samandal Comics Magazine is to provide a platform for comics artists to experiment and display their work, generating a steady stream of contemporary reading material for comics fans. Issue One of Samandal includes work by the fdz, Hatem Imam, Mazen Kerbaj, Elyse Tabet, Fouad R. Mezher, Lena Merhej, Omar Khouri, Farah Nehmeh, Barrack Rima, Isabelle Boinot and Andy Warner.
the fdz, one of the founding member of Samandal, said, “Samandal is essentially about establishing comics as popular reading material as opposed to an imported, niche, kiddie-oriented medium. Quite a few people in the region have grown up reading comics in some form or another, and some of them now want to communicate with the world through this form. An open platform like Samandal thus becomes the perfect opportunity to harness this talent and channel it to a wider public.”
Zena el Khalil, co-founder of xanadu* said “We are very happy to be publishing Samandal again. Our goal at xanadu* is to support young artists and writers in launching their careers. We see Samandal as an excellent opportunity for artists and writers to express themselves in an unconventional way and we are pleased to be able to offer a high level of quality of comics to our audiences in hopes to inspire more people to read, draw and dream.”
xanadu* stands firm to their belief that art can make positive changes by inspiring artists from around the world to take personal initiatives in order to make this world a truly beautiful place.
Launch Date: Friday, March 28, 2008 at 8:30pm
Location: Express cafe restaurant, Etoile center (Fransabank) HAMRA, BEIRUT
For more information:
Omar Khouri (Samandal) | info@samandal.org | Tel: +961.3.159606
Zena el Khalil (xanadu*) | zena@xanaduart.com | Tel: +961.3.562259
Notes for the Editor:
Participant Artists:
the fdz, Hatem Imam, Mazen Kerbaj, Elyse Tabet, Fouad R. Mezher, Lena Merhej, Omar Khouri, Farah Nehmeh, Barrack Rima, Isabelle Boinot and Andy Warner.
About Samandal:
Born out of a long-time love for comic books and a desire to see more of them in this part of the world, Samandal is a quarterly publication, open to submissions, that showcases the work of a variety of artists both national and international. Functioning as a platform for the cross-pollination of ideas the magazine aims to promote the comic form as an independent and mature mode of communication and a valid form of expression.
The magazine is targeted at adults, in three languages (Arabic, English and French) with serialized as well as one-off stories. Experimentation and innovation will be the norm as we will all need to discover how to make this medium work within the cultural context of the region. At its heart, though, Samandal aims to capitalize on its inherent malleability as a hybrid art form to operate beyond the demarcated and official boundaries, promoting dialogue between peoples using words and pictures to tell stories of their own.
About xanadu*:
What began as an idea between two Lebanese dreamers on a subway train in Brooklyn in 2001, blossomed into a global art collective they named "xanadu*, a beautiful place." The idea was to encourage Arab artists to express themselves and exhibit their work, in what was one of the most difficult times in history for an Arab to be living in New York City. In 2003, xanadu* opened up in the legendary Greenwich Village with the mission to showcase artwork, poetry, and music made by young Arab artists.
For three years, xanadu* held monthly events that included art exhibitions, poetry and music performances, publications, and even chess lessons. In 2004, xanadu* branched out to Lebanon. In Beirut, activities have included everything from one night "happenings" to month long exhibitions. In 2006, xanadu* curated the "Shu Tabkha, Ya Mara? (What's Cooking, Woman?) art exhibit in partnership with the International Museum of Women. That same year, xanadu* and local art powerhouse Espace SD co-curated "Nafas Beirut", a testimony to artwork made during the July 06 war. Soon after that, xanadu* launched its publication program to help young writers, poets and artists share their work with their peers. Recent publications have included Hind Shoufani’s “More Light Than Death Could Bear” and Issue Zero of Samandal Comics Magazine.
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