I might die before I get a rifle

"In 1991, after fourteen years in the Lebanese Communist Party, I was folded into the Lebanese Army's Ammunition and Explosives division. Months into my new assignment, I found myself unable to remember the names of the thousands of explosive devices I was meant to master. I began to photograph them, hoping that the photographs would aid my memory. They didn't, and I was let go. I still blame my photographs for my release." ~ attributed to Hannah Mrad

The above is part of the Museum of Modern Art's (MoMA) first comprehensive survey of Lebanese artist Wahlid Raad. The collage is part of Raad's project called, The Atlas Group - a 15 year project exploring the contemporary history of Lebanon through photographs, videos, notebooks, lectures, and audio. Through today's exhibit I learned that the only part of a car that survives a car bomb is the engine. Another photo-collage featured just that - photos of dead engines laying cracked, charred, and broken where they landed after being exploded.

I'd forgotten how many classic works of modern art are in MoMA's permanent collection, but I was in awe to walk among them all today. In the Extra Photos in the bottom right corner of your screen, you can see (left to right) The Persistence of Memory, 1931, by Salvador Dali, Les Demoiselles d"Avignon, 1907, by Pablo Picasso, and some avid art lovers and their cameras viewing the special exhibit of Picasso's sculptures.