Photography

Documentary, portrait, and conceptual photography from across the Arab world. The medium has played a particularly important role in contemporary Arab art, where photography became central to a generation of artists addressing surveillance, war, memory, and the politics of representation. Beirut-based Akram Zaatari, the photographers documenting the Arab uprisings of 2011, and the contemporary fine-art photography of the Gulf scene have shaped a distinctly regional photographic practice. The Artsamy photography collection includes both historical archives and contemporary photographic work — documenting decades of Arab visual life from the early 20th century to the present.