Akram Zaatari Explained

Akram Zaatari (born 1966 in Sidon, Lebanon) is a filmmaker, photographer, archival artist and curator. In 1997, he co-founded the Arab Image Foundation with photographers Fouad Elkoury, and Samer Mohdad. His work is largely based on collecting, studying and archiving the photographic history of the Arab World.^[1]

Zaatari was selected to represent Lebanon at the 2013 Venice Biennale by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, curators for the Lebanese Pavilion.^[2]

Work

Zaatari has been exploring issues pertinent to post-war Lebanon. He investigates the way television mediates territorial conflicts and wars, and is particularly interested in logic of religious and national resistance movements, and the circulation and production of images in the context of today's geographic division in the Middle East.^[3] His work has been widely exhibited worldwide in biennales and venues such as the Centre Pompidou^[4] and is in the permanent collection of museums such as Tate Modern^[5] and the Thyssen Bornemisza Contemporary.^[6]

Filmography

• Majnounak (Crazy of You), 1997^[7]
• Red Chewing Gum, 2000^[8]
• Her + Him VAN LEO, 2001^[9]
• How I love you, 2001^[10]
• This Day (al yaoum), 2003^[11]
• In this house, 2005^[12]
• Tomorrow Everything Will Be Alright, 2010^[13]
• On Photography People and Modern Times, 2010 ^[14]
• Letter to a Refusing Pilot, 2013 ^[15]

Awards

• Grand Prize of the 17th International Contemporary Art Festival SESC_Videobrasil in São Paulo (2011)

Publications

• The Vehicle. Picturing moments of transition in a modernizing society (Arab Image Foundation and Mind the Gap, 1999)
• Mapping Sitting (Arab Image Foundation and Mind the Gap, 2002)
• Hashem el Madani: Studio Practices (Arab Image Foundation, Mind the Gap and the Photographers' Gallery, 2004)
• Hashem el Madani: Promenades (Arab Image Foundation and Mind the Gap, 2007)
• Earth of Endless Secrets (Portikus and Beirut Art Center, 2010)
• Against Photography (Kaph Books and MACBA, 2018)^[16]
• Building Index. Rifat Chadirji , edited by Akram Zaatari and Mark Wasiuta (Arab Image Foundation and Kaph Books, 2018)^[17]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• Akram Zaatari. Objects of Study, Galerie Sfeir Semler, Hamburg, 2007^[18]
• Earth of Endless Secrets. Writing for a Posterior Time, Beirut Art Center, 2009 ^[19]
• Akram Zaatari. Nature Morte, Baltic Mill, 2009^[20]
• Akram Zaatari Composition for Two Wings, Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, 2011^[21]
• Liverpool Biennial Spotlight Akram Zaatari, Liverpool Biennial, 2012^[22]
• This Day at Ten, Le Magasin-Cnac, Grenoble, 2012^[23]
• Akram Zaatari, Letter to a refusing pilot, Lebanese Pavilion, Arsenale, 55. Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy, 2013
• Akram Zaatari, All Is Well, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queens University, Kingston, ON, 2013-2014^[24]
• Akram Zaatari, Unfolding, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 2015^[25]
• Akram Zaatari, Against Photography. An Annoted History of the Image Arab Foundation, MACBA, Barcelona, 2017 ^[26]
• Akram Zaatari. The Third Window, Sfeir Semler Gallery, Beirut 2018^[27]

Group exhibitions

• Documenta (13), Kassel, 2012^[28]
• Across Boundaries. Focus on Lebanese Photography, curated by Tarek Nahas, Beirut Art Fair 2018^[29]

External links

• Akram Zaatari at Galerie Sfeir Semler, Hamburg and Beirut
• Akram Zaatari, Interview Revista Código
• Akram Zaatari at Universes in Universe
  • Akram Zaatari profile at Kadist Art Foundation
• Akram Zaatari at in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art
• Projects 100: Akram Zaatari at The Museum of Modern Art

Notes and References

1. Web site: Galerie Sfeir Semler. Galerie Sfeir Semler. 20 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120328045756/http://www.sfeir-semler.de/sites/zaatari/zaatari_only.htm. 28 March 2012. dead. dmy-all.
2. Web site: Akram Zaatari represents Lebanon at Venice.. 20 October 2012. Biennial Foundation. 18 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130430130844/http://www.biennialfoundation.org/2012/10/the-artist-akram-zaatari-has-been-selected-to-represent-lebanon-at-the-55th-venice-biennale-2/. 2013-04-30. dead.
3. Web site: Le Journal des Laboratoires: Akram Zaatari . Les Laboratoires . 20 January 2012.
4. Web site: Centre Pompidou – Akram Zaatari . 2007 . Centre Pompidou . 20 January 2012 . 12 May 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100512040543/http://www.centrepompidou.fr/Pompidou/Manifs.nsf/0/DE2771054AF72DE2C12573220031CE7B?OpenDocument . dead .
5. Web site: tate Collection – Akram Zaatari . Tate Modern. 20 January 2012.
6. Web site: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary . Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary . 20 January 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121101222949/http://tba21.org/collection/artist/578/artwork/418 . 1 November 2012 .
7. Web site: Majnounak (Crazy of You) Akram Zaatari . Video Data Bank . 29 September 2012.
8. Web site: Red Chewing Gum Akram Zaatari . Video Data Bank . 29 September 2012.
9. Web site: Her + Him VAN LEO Akram Zaatari . Video Data Bank . 29 September 2012.
10. Web site: How I love you Akram Zaatari . Video Data Bank . 29 September 2012.
11. Web site: This Day (al yaoum) Akram Zaatari . Video Data Bank . 29 September 2012.
12. Web site: In this house Akram Zaatari . Video Data Bank . 29 September 2012.
13. Web site: Tomorrow Everything Will Be Alright Akram Zaatari . Tamar Zmora . ArtAsiaPacific . 13 June 2015.
14. Web site: Akram Zaatari: On Photography People and Modern Times . 2013 . Thomas Dane Gallery . 13 June 2015.
15. Web site: Akram Zaatari Letter to a Refusing Pilot . 2013 . e-flux . 13 June 2015.
16. Web site: Against Photography . 2018 . Kaph Books . 10 October 2019.
17. Web site: Building Index . 2018 . Les presses du réel . 10 October 2019.
18. Web site: Akram Zaatari . artnews.org . 29 September 2012.
19. Web site: Earth of Endless Secrets. Writing for a Posterior Time . 2009 . Beirut Art Center . 29 September 2012 . 10 May 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130510200743/http://www.beirutartcenter.org/exhibitions.php?exhibid=45&statusid=3 . dead .
20. Web site: Akram Zaatari < detail < exhibitions < What's on < Baltic . Baltic Mill . 29 September 2012.
21. Web site: Oslo Contemporary Art Exhibition 2011: Akram Zaatari. Composition for Two Wings . e-flux . 29 September 2012.
22. Web site: Liverpool Biennial 2012 spotlight on Akram Zaatari . Liverpool Biennial . 29 September 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121014122203/http://www.fact.co.uk/news-views/2012/09/liverpool-biennial-2012-spotlight-on-akram-zaatari/ . 14 October 2012 .
23. Web site: " Aujourd'hui à 10 ans / This day at ten " exposition de Akram Zaatari au MAGASIN . Isere Culture . 29 September 2012.
24. Web site: Agnes Etherington Art Centre www.aeac.ca . www.aeac.ca . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140227080121/http://www.aeac.ca/exhibitions/upcoming/akram.html . 2014-02-27.
25. Web site: Exhibitions arkiv.
26. Web site: Exhibition - Akram Zaatari | MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona.
27. Web site: The Third Window . 2018 . Artforum . 30 November 2018.
28. Web site: dOCUMENTA (13) . Documenta . 29 September 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150306230259/http://d13.documenta.de/ . 6 March 2015 .
29. Web site: Across Boundaries. Focus on Lebanese Photography . 2018 . Rania Matar website . 30 November 2018.