Literary Play: Artist Talk by Mohammad Kanaan, in Conversation with Tarek Ariss

Conversation between Mohamad Kanaan and scholar Tarek El-Ariss about Mohamad’s recent project investigating two medieval Arabic texts: Qazwini’s Wonders of Creation (ʿAjāʾib al-Makhlūqāt) and al-Katib’s Encyclopedia of Pleasure (Jawāmiʿ al-Ladhdha). In this talk, Kanaan will discuss his experimental approach to studying medieval manuscripts, exploring how to read, analyze, and visualize premodern Arabic literature through a critical, interdisciplinary lens. His work challenges conventional ways of engaging with language and the archive, tracing contemporary resonances between text and visual art.

Kanaan will also be exhibiting his work inspired by Wonders of Creation at Beirut Art Center in 2026.