Christine Tohmé
Christine Tohme (Arabic: كريستين طعمة) is a Lebanese curator and the founding director of the Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts Ashkal Alwan, a non-profit organization that initiates and supports contemporary artistic practice since 1994.
Biography
Tohme was born on February 28, 1964, in Beirut. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 1987 at the American University of Beirut, and her master's degree in Contemporary Art Theory at the Goldsmiths College in London.[1]
From 1988 to 2006 she worked for Radio Liban as a presenter and DJ, and in 1994 she co-founded Ashkal Alwan.
In 2001, Tohme initiated Home Works: A Forum on Cultural Practices,[2] of which 6 editions have taken place to date. Home Works is a multidisciplinary platform that takes place in Beirut, Lebanon every 2–3 years and has evolved into one of the most vibrant platforms for contemporary cultural practices in the Arab region and internationally. Artists, curators, writers, thinkers, and cultural practitioners gather to share their works, which take the form of exhibitions, lectures, panels, artists’ talks, screenings, workshops and publications, as well as theatre, dance and music performances.
In 2006, Tohme received the Prince Claus Award [3] for her work in arts practices and the civic sphere.
In 2011, she launched Home Workspace in Beirut, a platform for facilitating artistic research, production and education, and Home Workspace Program (HWP),[4] an annual arts study program at the post-graduate level. HWP targets artists and cultural practitioners—from Lebanon or elsewhere—who wish to develop their practice in a supportive environment in Beirut.