Talk by Akram Zaatari

SALT Beyoğlu Walk-in Cinema

Studio photography is a phenomenon of the 20th century. It is a work tradition that has marked people’s lives for more than 150 years, leaving a wealth of descriptions of people’s faces, postures and attitudes. What can be done with this material? How valuable is it? In this presentation, Akram Zaatari will discuss aspects of studio photography in relation to geographic specificity, showing samples of his work on the studio Van Leo, Cairo, and Studio Shehrazade, Saida, Lebanon.

Zaatari’s practice is tied to the practice of collecting. He is a co-founder of the Arab Image Foundation (Beirut, 1997) and has been since researching photographic practices in the Middle East, examining how photography has shaped notions of aesthetics, postures and social codes. Interested in looking at the present through a wealth of past photographic records, since 1999, Zaatari has been focusing on the archive of Studio Shehrazade, studying, indexing and presenting the work of photographer Hashem el Madani (b. 1928) as a register of social relationships and photographic practices.

Zaatari’s works have been shown internationally at Centre Georges Pompidou; Tate Modern; Kunstverein Munich; Haus der Kunst, Munich; MUSAC, Leon; Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo; Lisson Gallery; and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg. He participated in the Torino Triennale (2008), and the İstanbul (2011), Venice (2007), Gwangju, Sydney and São Paolo (2006) biennials. He is the author of more than 40 videos, including Nature Morte (2008), In this House (2005), This Day (2003) and All is Well on the Border (1997).

The talk will be held in English.

Accommodation Sponsor: Karaköy Rooms