Lebanese photographer Fouad Elkoury has dedicated much of his career to capturing the turbulent story of the Middle East and particularly his homeland. Following the blast at Beirut port in August 2020, the gallery put together this show, featuring Elkoury’s images alongside works by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, all of which have “Beirut at their core.”
Elkoury’s images of damaged buildings in Beirut in the 1980s, such as this one [Burj El Brajne], documenting the “visceral memories of civil war,” remain all-too relevant today. “The remnants of combat are woven into a body of work that is both informative and narrative,” the gallery press material states. “Images at once tragic and tender.”
Through his images of destruction, the gallery continues, Elkoury is hoping to “reclaim the medium from colonial doctrine.” The 68-year-old photographer “captures moments that leave the viewer unsure if they are observing a state of becoming or unbecoming.”
From the Arab News website.
