The Book Salon

Drawing inspiration from the legacy of the Arab tradition of literary salons as spaces where words, ideas, art, and life have long converged, the Book Salon brings together a selection of books from the lesser amman library, chosen by participating artists. This project invites visitors to move beyond the conventional boundaries of the page and to engage with these books as living sites of exchange.

The Salon offers space for personal and collective dialogue with titles that are deeply intertwined with the artists’ practices and lived experiences. Through responses such as letters, drawings, and performances, the books are reinterpreted, extended, and reimagined. Visitors are invited to engage with these interventions and to reflect on the book as an evolving object: Does a book exist if it is not read? How does it shift with each reader? What meanings emerge when it rests on a shelf, or when it travels into new hands?

Through this open and interactive process, the Book Salon explores how a book unfolds over time, revealing layers that extend beyond its first edition and creating a horizon for dialogue and participation. It is open for visits on weekdays from 10 am to 5 pm, welcoming visitors to engage with the books and the artists’ interventions at their own pace.

Artists participating in the Book Salon are Almonther Aldamani, Ali Yasser Atef, Diala Khasawneh, Raafat Majzoub and Deema Shahin, with additional artists to be announced.