Dimensions: image: 191 x 290 mm
Copyright: © Akram Zaatari, courtesy Hashem el Madani and Arab Image Foundation, Beirut | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Looking at this image, "Anonymous. South Lebanon, 1952," we see it was developed from a photograph taken by Hashem el Madani, but is credited to Akram Zaatari. Editor: It’s a strikingly direct portrait. The boy's gaze is so intense against the roughly textured wooden background; it feels almost confrontational. Curator: Right. Madani, working in his studio, used very simple means, and the black and white film emphasizes the textures of both the wood and the boy’s clothes. It really highlights the materials. Editor: Absolutely, but it also begs the question: Who was this boy? What were the social conditions that shaped his life in South Lebanon at that time? The anonymity is really unsettling when you consider the history of the region. Curator: Zaatari’s use of Madani’s archive draws attention to the role of the photographer as a craftsman and the studio as a site of production. Editor: And prompts a discussion about representation, power dynamics, and the often-unacknowledged lives behind the images. Curator: Precisely. It encourages us to reconsider the value of these found images and the labor involved in their creation. Editor: It's a powerful reminder of the unseen, urging us to reflect on the historical and political layers embedded within this single, arresting image.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/zaatari-anonymous-south-lebanon-1952-hashem-el-madani-p79446
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This work is one of a series of black and white silver gelatin photographs of varying sizes that are collectively titled Objects of study/The archive of studio Shehrazade/Hashem el Madani/Studio Practices. All of the photographs were taken by the Lebanese commercial photographer Hashem el Madani between 1948 and 1982 and compiled into the present group, 117 of which are in Tate’s collection, by the Lebanese artist Akram Zaatari. All of the photographs include people, either alone, in pairs or in small groups, and most were taken in Madani’s studio, although some were shot outside and in his subjects’ homes. The series features men and women and covers a wide age range from babies to elderly people. Almost all of the sitters assume poses deliberately for the camera, sometimes accompanied by props or costumes, and most gaze directly towards the lens. Many of the pictures show subjects interacting in various ways, including embracing, kissing and acting out scenes, such as a mock wrestling match. The photographs are mostly tightly cropped, with the sitter or sitters filling most of the frame, although in some cases the figures are positioned further away from the camera, for instance when shown sitting at a table or standing behind a chair. The photographs tend to have sparse backgrounds, often dominated by a blank posterior wall. They are mounted on white paper, displayed in plain white frames and signed on the back by Madani. Many of them have been organised into categories by Zaatari – such as a group featuring men dressed as Syrian resistance fighters and a collection depicting newly married couples – while the rest are presented individually. Zaatari has stated that although he prefers these groups to be displayed together, this is not a requirement (Akram Zaatari, email to Rachel Taylor, 24 April 2008, Tate Acquisition file).
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