SAWFAR, Lebanon - Dotted with bullet holes and scarred by war, a once iconic hotel in Lebanon abandoned for more than 40 years is coming back to life through the paintings of an artist on a mission to revive the memories of its glorious past.
British artist Tom Young studies the history of abandoned buildings in Lebanon, many of them a reminder of the country's civil war, and creates paintings based on old photographs, stories, architecture and their surrounding environment.
His exhibitions, held in the abandoned buildings, are free of charge and include community events to help stir public interest in their history.
"These great places ... are just sleeping and in many ways with my art I am hoping to perhaps wake them up and make them relevant for the present day and the future," said Young, who has been living in Lebanon for the past nine years.
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