Revival
A Journey of Memory, Culture & Renewal in Saida
British artist Tom Young presents Revival, an evocative exhibition located inside Hammam Al Jadeed in the Old Souq of Saida. The show transforms one of Lebanon’s last historic bathhouses — once a communal place of ritual, connection, and tradition — into a vibrant gallery space where memory, identity and resilience come alive through paint
About the Artist
Tom Young is a British artist based between Beirut and London, whose work is shaped by his architectural training and deep engagement with urban memory. He has lived and worked in Lebanon for many years, drawing inspiration from the country’s layered histories, dynamic landscapes, and complex cultural identity. His creative practice merges painting, historical research, architectural conservation and community engagement to explore how places reflect who we are.
Revival isn’t just an art exhibition — it’s a rebirth of space and spirit. Hammam Al Jadeed, a centuries-old bathhouse once echoing with daily life and shared rituals, stands silent no longer. Through Young’s brushstrokes, the stone arches and chambers of the hammam become a living canvas, inviting visitors to feel history as much as see it.
Young’s paintings in Revival are informed by oral histories, architectural memory, and personal testimony — each work capturing moments of life once lived within these walls. Rather than merely depicting figures or places, his canvases conjure the essence of memory: light filtering through steam, sunlight on stone, familiar gestures echoing in empty halls.
Themes & Highlights
Memory & Place – The exhibition evokes a deep sense of remembrance. The hammam itself, with its worn stone and aged structure, becomes inseparable from the art it contains — reminding us that spaces carry the stories of those who passed through them.
Art as Rebirth – Young doesn’t simply document the past — he revives it. His work invites visitors to inhabit the experience of these spaces, blurring the line between then and now.
Cultural Resonance – By bringing art into a historic structure that had faded from daily life, Revival reignites Saida’s cultural heartbeat and asks viewers to reflect on how art can heal, remember, and transform.
In a region where too much has been fragmented by conflict, loss, and change, Revival offers a powerful lesson: that beauty and memory can rise from quiet places, and that art can be a space of communal reflection and renewal. The exhibition encourages us to see beyond what is visible — to remember what has been lost, and to imagine what can be restored.