The Arab Image Foundation (french: Fondation arabe pour l'image; ar, المؤسسة العربية للصورة/

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ''al-Muʾassasah al-ʿArabiyyah lil-Ṣūrah'') is a non-profit organization established in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

in 1997. It aims to track down, collect, preserve and study photographs from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and the

Arab diaspora Arab diaspora (also known as MENA diaspora, as a short version for the Middle East and North Africa diaspora) refers to descendants of the Arab emigrants who, voluntarily or as refugees, emigrated from their native lands to non-Arab countries, ...

. Its expanding collection includes more than 600,000 photographic objects from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, Syria, Palestine,

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, and

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

History

Arab Image Foundation was created in 1997 by photographers Fouad Elkoury and Samer Mohdad, and artist

Akram Zaatari Akram Zaatari (born 1966 in Sidon, Lebanon) is a filmmaker, photographer, archival artist and curator. In 1997, he co-founded the Arab Image Foundation with photographers Fouad Elkoury, and Samer Mohdad. His work is largely based on collecting, stu ...

as a reaction to the lack of photographic archives in the region and the rapid disappearance of the few that remained. Lucien Samaha was one of the original members of the Arab Image Foundation. The collections reveal a large aspect of the social history of the

Arab World The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

, including the picture that

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

have constructed of themselves since the creation of photography. The Foundation has become internationally and regionally recognized as the leading photographic institution in the Middle East. In addition to housing and conserving hundreds of thousands of photographs, the Foundation has spearheaded conservations and preservation projects in the Middle East, co-sponsoring workshops to disseminate the knowledge and skills needed to identify, restore, and conserve the Arab world's large photographic archive. In addition to on site facilities including a public space, a library, a research center and a laboratory, the AIF has organized multiple gallery and museum exhibits, and produced book publications, monographs, films, and collectible merchandise, such as postcards and posterbook publications and films. The foundation also runs a prestigious residency program for artists and scholars.

Governance

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors and a General Assembly. The current Board of Directors (2021–2024) is composed of Vartan Avakian, Donald Choubassi, Yasmine Eid-Sabbagh, Fabiola Hanna, Kristine Khouri, and Hrair Sarkissian. The General Assembly includes Zeina Arida, Vartan Avakian, Negar Azimi, Lara Baladi, Karl Bassil, Donald Choubassi, Yasmine Eid-Sabbagh, Fabiola Hanna, Kristine Khouri, Khaled Malas, Sarah Morris, Issam Nassar, Hrair Sarkissian, and Tamara Sawaya.

Projects

Exhibitions

*Les Martyrs de Qana, Project by Doha Shams, curated by Samer Mohdad (1997) *Liban Intime 1900-1960, Curated by Samer Mohdad and Fouad el Khoury (1998) *Portrait du Caire: Alban, Armand and Van Leo, Curated by Akram Zaatari (1999) *Albums Marocains 1900-1960, Curated by

Yto Barrada Yto Barrada (born 1971) is a Franco-Moroccan multimedia visual artist living and working in Tangier, Morocco and New York City. Barrada cofounded the Cinémathèque de Tanger in 2006, leading a group of artists and filmmakers. Barrada also wor ...

(1999) *The Vehicle. Picturing moments of transition in a modernizing society, Curated by Akram Zaatari (1999) *Palestine before '48, Curated by Akram Zaatari (1999) *Van Leo, Curated by Akram Zaatari (2000) *Pratiques photographiques au Liban (1900–1960) Curated by Akram Zaatari (2001) *Mapping Sitting. On Portraiture and Photography. A project by

Walid Raad Walid Raad (Ra'ad) (Arabic: وليد رعد) (born 1967 in Chbanieh, Lebanon) is a contemporary media artist. The Atlas Group is a fictional collective, the work of which is produced by Walid Raad. He lives and works in New York, where he is curr ...

and Akram Zaatari (2002) *Arts et couleurs .Curated by Lara Baladi (2004) *Hashem el Madani: Practices, An ongoing project by Akram Zaatari (2004) * Hashem el Madani: Promenades, An ongoing project by Akram Zaatari (2006) *Hashem el Madani: Itinerary, An ongoing project by Akram Zaatari (2007) *How beautiful is Panama! A photographic conversation from Burj al-Shamali camp, Initiated by Yasmine Eid-Sabbagh and Simon Lourié (2008) *An Uncanny Impulse - The Mohsen Yammine collection at the Arab Image Foundation, curated by Marc Mouarkech and Clémence Cottard (2017) *Against Photography - An annotated history of the Arab Image Foundation, curated by

(2017) *Des possibles de la photographie. La collection 0069FA : une archive à l'œuvre, curated by Clémence Cottard-Hachem and Marc Mouarkech,

Rencontres d'Arles The Rencontres d’Arles (formerly called ''Rencontres internationales de la photographie d’Arles'') is an annual summer photography festival founded in 1970 by the Arles photographer Lucien Clergue, the writer Michel Tournier and the historia ...

(2019)

Publications

*''Histoires Intimes Liban 1900-1960'' (Actes Sud, 1997) *''Portraits du Caire'' (Actes Sud, 1999) *''The Vehicle. Picturing moments of transition in a modernizing society.'' Edited by Akram Zaatari (Arab Image Foundation and Mind the Gap, 1999) *''Mapping Sitting.'' Edited by Karl Bassil, Zeina Maasri and Akram Zaatari in collaboration with Walid Raad (Arab Image Foundation and Mind the Gap, 2002) *''Review of Photographic Memory.'' Edited by

Jalal Toufic Jalal Toufic is a Lebanese artist, filmmaker, and author of various publications. Born to an Iraqi father and a Palestinian mother, he has lived in Lebanon for about seventeen years, and his work often reflects his heritage. He is co-publisher a ...

(Arab Image Foundation, 2004) *''Hashem el Madani: Studio Practices.'' Edited by Karl Bassil, Lisa Le Feuvre and Akram Zaatari, (Arab Image Foundation, Mind the Gap and the Photographers' Gallery, 2004) *''Hashem el Madani: Promenades'' (Arab Image Foundation and Mind the Gap, 2007) *''A Lebanese Archive by Ania Dabrowska from the collection of Diab Alkarssifi'' (Book Works and Arab Image Foundation, 2015) *'' Traversées photographiques. Le journal du docteur Cottard '', edited by Gregory Buchakjian and Clémence Cottard Hachem (Arab Image Foundation, 2017) *'' Building Index.

Rifat Chadirji Rifat Chadirji ( ar, رفعت الجادرجي ''Rifa'a al-Khādarjī'', also Romanized ''Rifa'at Al Chaderchi''; 6 December 1926 – 10 April 2020) was an Iraqi Turkmen architect. He was often referred to as the father of modern Iraqi architect ...

'', edited by

and Mark Wasiuta (Arab Image Foundation and Kaph Books, 2018)

Films

* Jours tranquilles en Palestine (Fouad Elkoury and Sylvain Roumette, 1998) * Her+Him Van Leo (Akram Zaatari, 2001)

Platforms

* History of the Last Things Before the Last: Art as Writing History (a symposium proposed by

Clément Chéroux Clément Chéroux (born 1970) is a French photography historian and curator. He is Chief Curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He has also held senior curatorial positions at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and at the ...

and Akram Zaatari, organized by the

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

and the Arab Image Foundation, 2012) * Middle East Photograph Preservation Initiative (MEPPI)

References

External links

Noorderlicht / Archive / Arab Image Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arab Image Foundation Photography museums and galleries in Lebanon Photo archives in Lebanon Education in Beirut Museums in Beirut Arts organisations based in Lebanon Non-profit organisations based in Lebanon 1997 establishments in Lebanon Art museums established in 1997