Rania Matar

Rania Matar (born 1964) is a Lebanese/Palestinian/American documentary, portrait and fine art photographer. She photographs the daily lives of girls and women in the Middle East and in the United States, including Syrian refugees.[1]

Rania Matar
Born1964 (age 58–59)
Lebanon
NationalityAmerican / Lebanese
Alma materAmerican University of Beirut,
Cornell University
Known forFine art photography
Websitewww.raniamatar.com
Becoming at RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco
She Who Tells a Story exhibited at National Museum of Women in the Arts

Early life

Matar was born and raised in Lebanon and moved to the U.S. in 1984.[2][3] Originally trained as an architect at the American University of Beirut and at Cornell University, she later studied photography at the New England School of Photography and the Maine Photographic Workshops. Since 2009 she has taught photographic workshops for teenage girls in Lebanon’s refugee camps. She now teaches at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and exhibits her work worldwide.[4]

Career

Matar has made several series of photographs, including SHE, L'Enfant Femme, Unspoken Conversations, Women Coming of Age, A Girl and Her Room, Invisible Children, and Ordinary Lives. Her portraits explore gender studies and often consider varying national identities.[2] L'Enfant Femme depicts preteen girls living in the United States and the Middle East, and focuses on documenting the age between childhood and maturity.[5] Mothers and daughters are photographed together and present a universal nature of womanhood in the series Unspoken Conversations.[5] Matar began her series Invisible Children after a visit to Beirut in 2014. She noticed how many Syrian refugee children were on the streets begging for work and money.[6] This series documents the individuality of each child.[7] In 2017, Matar's work was included in the Biennale of the Contemporary Arab World held in Paris at the Arab World Institute.[8]

Publications
L'Enfant-Femme at Carroll and Sons

Awards

References
  1. Goukassian, Elena (4 October 2016). "Looking at the Invisible Children Growing Up as Refugees". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  2. Durant, Mark Alice (7 October 2016). "Rania Matar: Invisible Children at C. Grimaldis Gallery". Photograph Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  3. Davies, Catriona (1 July 2011). "Arab and American teenagers open their bedroom doors". CNN. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  4. "Dubaï : Rania Matar, Becoming Girls, Women and Coming of Age". The Eye of Photography. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  5. Rosenberg, David (4 March 2015). "These Photos Beautifully Capture the Complex Relationship Between Mothers and Daughters". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  6. Urist, Jacoba (4 April 2017). "How Should Art Address Human Rights?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  7. Jaafari, Shirin (10 November 2014). "Giving Syrian children their identities back, one portrait at a time". The World. Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  8. "Biennale of Arab Photographers : Interview with Rania Matar". The Eye of Photography. 27 September 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  9. "The Best Books of 2009". Photo Eye Magazine. 2009. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  10. Van Oot, Torey (27 January 2016). "A Look Inside The Rooms Of Teens In Two Very Different Worlds". Refinery29. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  11. "Notable Photo Books of 2016: Part 2". Photo District News. 1 December 2016. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  12. "Rania Matar - Fellow: Awarded 2018". Guggenheim Foundation. 2018. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  13. "Fellows Notes - Nov 22". ArtSake. Massachusetts Cultural Council. 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  14. Djudjic, Dunja (16 March 2022). "Leica Women Foto Project announces its powerful 2022 winners". DIY Photography. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  15. "Leica Camera USA Announces 3rd Annual Leica Women Foto Project Award Winners & Mentees | Leica Camera US". Leica Camera. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
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