Diana Matar: “Evidence” – Photographing Six years of Political Disappearance

Diana Matar Using photography, testimony and archive, Diana Matar's in-depth bodies of work investigate themes of history, memory and state sponsored violence. Grounded in heavy research and often spending years on a project, Matar attempts to capture the invisible traces of human history and produces installations and books that query what role aesthetics might playin the depiction of power. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Matar has received the Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award for Fine Art; the International Fund for Documentary Photography; a Ford Foundation Grant for artists making work on history and memory.

Libya –

Years ago Photography feature – Diana Matar‘s father-in-law, a Libyan opposition leader, was kidnapped by the Egyptian secret service and handed over to the Gaddafi regime; he has been missing ever since.

Published by Schilt, the first third of the book is a meditation on absence told through photographs and excerpts of letters written by the artist to her missing father-in-law, Jaballa. Slowly the book begins to change as it is made clear that Jaballa’s actions have implications for her own life and her family’s safety. As she travels through London, Libya, Italy and California, the images and diary entries take one on a journey through contemporary history. Crafted as an homage to one man, the book shows the cruel effects of dictatorship on intimate relationships and family life.

Fifteen of the photographs in Evidence will be exhibited at the Tate Modern in Conflict, Time, Photography 26th November 2014 – 15th March 2015. This exhibition will travel onto Museum Folkswang in Essen, and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden during 2015.