Anonymous. Studio Shehrazade, Saida, Lebanon, late 1960s. Standard frontal portrait, mandatory for candidates to military service. Hashem el Madani 2007

Editor: This photograph, titled "Anonymous. Studio Shehrazade, Saida, Lebanon, late 1960s," by Akram Zaatari, captures a young man's portrait. There's a quiet intensity in his gaze. What strikes you most about this image? Curator: It’s the intersection of the personal and the political, isn’t it? This mandatory photo for military service transforms a private moment into a document of national identity, a state-sanctioned self. It makes me wonder, what dreams were brewing behind those eyes? How did this ritual shape his sense of belonging? Editor: That's a powerful thought. It really reframes how I see the portrait. Curator: Absolutely. Art can surprise you like that - turning a mirror into a window!