Presentation: Re-reading Public Images BeirutRe-reading Public Image is the name of one of the ongoing and energetic projects at the heart of the Dutch Art Institute.

The project aims at deciphering and discussing the messages in public images. On our trip to Beirut the nine participating students will investigate public images in Beirut, be it architecture, graffiti or public monuments. On this evening in Zico House the participants will present their first research results.

Toppled - what happened to the statues of Saddam Hussein? a lecture by Florian Göttke Toppled is a lecture based on an archive of images of the statues of Saddam Hussein. A close reading of the images reveals an astonishing amount of information: the statues´ desecration and humiliation, their transformation from manifestations of Saddam´s totalitarian power into icons of his regime´s defeat, their appropriation into his enemies´ museums and their symbolic reinterpretation for use in anti-war protests. The lecture leads the audience through all these stories in dramatic, hilarious and pathetic moments.

The book Toppled was published in 2010. www.toppledsaddam.org

Florian Göttke is a visual artist based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. www.floriangoettke.com

Zico House, 174 Spears Street, Beirut; 10 April 2011, 19:00