Beyond Art

Twig Collaborative presents Beyond Art, a collection of paintings and poems by Afaf Zurayk. The art book, our fourth collaboration with the artist, was selected through an international open call to be featured in the exhibition “Art in Isolation: Creativity in the time of COVID19” by the Middle East Institute’s Arts & Culture Center in Washington D.C.. Beyond Art is a prayer that invites the reader in a non-linear emotional narrative that captures the sentiments of the moment.

Twig built on historical canons of page construction to band word with image to offer the earnest reader an intimate view into self and the human condition. More detail about the book's design is on our website. Printed and bound in Lebanon, on premium matte paper and with a fabric hard cover, the book brings together poems and paintings that Zurayk created during the COVID pandemic lockdown in Washington, D.C.. Beyond Art reveals the deeply introspective nature of quarantining and of discovering one’s self in isolation. In a world that is constantly rearranging itself, friendship and love endure to pave the way for a more hopeful future.