Better be watching the clouds / I want to be able to welcome my father to my house

Walid Raad investigates how violence affects bodies, minds, art and tradition. This artist book highlights two of Raad’s thoughtful and witty artworks. Here, as elsewhere in his artworks, Raad departs from historical events linked to the protracted Lebanese wars of the past forty years to create somewhat absurd, outlandish but plausible documents. Better be watching the clouds concentrates on the local, regional and international political figures whose faces and names became fixtures in the Lebanese landscape; I want to be able to welcome my father to my house leans on diaries that Raad’s father kept throughout the wars. [publisher's note]