This publication comprises a series of interviews with contemporary artists, musicians, and writers who are in dialogue with Beirut and Cairo. While not purporting to be an overview of the art scenes in these cities, this book begins to draw a picture of how artists think about what it means to be active in the contexts of these cities. It offers insight into the circumstances that structured these artists' stories, and the often accidental influences that have shaped how their practices have developed.

These are the tools of the present is published on the occasion of Meeting Points 8, “Both Sides of the Curtain.” Meeting Points is an international multidisciplinary contemporary arts event that takes the Arab world as a starting point to pose questions about art. Meeting Points tries to imagine and interrogate models for the production and presentation of contemporary art, developed through curatorial research in the Arab world.

Copublished with Mophradat

Contributors
Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Haig Aivazian, Mounira Al Solh, Doa Aly, Andeel, Mirene Arsanios, Malak Helmy, Iman Issa, Mahmoud Khaled, Maurice Louca, Jasmina Metwaly, Joe Namy, Nile Sunset Annex, November Paynter, Roy Samaha, Sharif Sehnaoui, Rania Stephan, Christophe Wavelet, Lauren Wetmore