BEIRUT, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Beirut Art Fair is celebrating its tenth anniversary, hosting 380 artists from home and abroad together with 50 galleries.
Starting from Sept. 18, the five-day fair held in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, features international modern and contemporary art fair with a focus on the scenes of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Saad Yagan, a Syrian artist living in Beirut, said the fair is a cultural and artistic demonstration that plays an important role in the Lebanese and Arab fine art movement.
Bahram Hajo, a painter from Syria, expressed his happiness to take part in this yearly event which hosts artists from several countries.
Hajo says he has been living in Europe for over 40 years but his work focuses mostly on his country from a humanitarian perspective.
Beirut Art Fair plays a crucial role in establishing and building artistic links between diverse cultures, fostering collaboration between local and international galleries, institutions and art collectors, and nurturing emerging artists' careers.
"This is a growing event in town. We visited last year at the end of the fair and we loved it. We will surely come back later because it has a lot of creative and innovative forms of art," Patrick, a foreign art lover said.
Likewise, Maha, a regular visitor of the fair, said that this year the fair has even got better than previous years with its increasing creativity.
While some visitors have been loyal participants and attendants of the yearly event, others have decided to join in the event for a new experience.
"It is our first time in this event but we are happy that we are meeting a lot of people and the quality of art showcased in the fair is very nice," said Zaahirah Muthy, an artist activist from Mauritius.
The Beirut Art Fair lauds a VIP program filled with activities organized in partnership with Lebanese cultural institutions. The fair also offers guided tours and nightly events to its guests.
