ARTDESK: 

Akram Zaatari

Lebanese artist Akram Zaatari (born 1966) has a background in working with a non-profit organization and the preservation of Middle Eastern and North African photographs. He is part of the conceptual and media-critical artists that were strong in the 1970s and 80s. Many of them sprang from working with photography and a shared interest in documentation, archivation and memory.

Today, in his own artistic practice, he works in the same sprit, almost like an archaeologist, digging out objects, images and stories to display in his pieces. There is also the element of subjective historiography, where he looks at the past that is not too distant. In his new exhibition at Moderna museet, Unfolding, you can feel the archaeological vibe and see pieces with a relation to his hometown Saida in Southern Lebanon. Recovered objects and photos are organized in the space, on display until mid August.

Akram Zaatari’s Unfolding is on display at Moderna Museet until August.

Curator: Magnus af Petersens