Video art becomes hit for Libyans

TRIPOLI - Agence France-Presse

Libyan visitors look at an art installation projected onto a wall. AFP photo

Libya’s first video art exhibit proved a hit in Tripoli, drawing scores of spectators in a country emerging from 42 culturally barren years under the regime of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

People from all over the capital flocked to the seaside Old City this month following the itinerary charted by “First Glance,” an outdoor exhibition organized by The Arete Foundation for Arts and Culture, a Libyan initiative.

The exhibit’s center piece, “Dance of Chaos” by New Zealand’s Mark Pulsford, mirrors human motion and uses computer software to draw with light.

Nine screens were installed at five historic points of the walled Old City. Guided by red arrows, intrigued visitors strolled from one site to the next, relishing the creations of artists from 14 countries, including Egypt, England and France.