Joyce Joumaa — Une disparition n’est pas une mort, 2026

The second part of a trilogy devoted to the collapse of Lebanon, Disappearance Is Not Death takes as its starting point the figure of Youssef Bey Karam, who led a revolt against Ottoman rule in Mount Lebanon in the 19th century. His belief in Lebanese sovereignty, his exile in Algeria and later Italy, as well as his writings, allow Joyce Joumaa to explore the long-lasting repercussions of occupation. Blending documentary and speculation, the film examines the connections between historical memory and contemporary crisis. It thus moves beyond the Lebanese context to shed light on interconnected questions of domination, sovereignty, and self-determination that extend more broadly across the Arab world. Presented in a scenography reminiscent of a film set, the installation brings together different forms of constructing and representing the same narrative, blurring the boundaries between history and interpretation.

Joyce Joumaa develops a practice at the intersection of visual art and writing, centered on micro-histories and the ways they shape the present. She explores the traces left in urban environments by past events, as well as the political and social layers that accumulate within them. Through documentary and experimental film, photography, and archival work, her projects bring memory, architecture, and lived experience into dialogue. By imagining new narratives, they rethink how places, events, and historical figures are perceived.