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.


Evidence-cover

Related Posts

Oscar Monzon: KARMA

Spain –  In Karma, a project developed in Madrid between 2009 and 2013, Óscar Monzón focuses on the car as a ...

Miti Ruangkritya: Christmas Trees Vol. 1

Thailand –  Towards the end of each year public spaces and commercial centers throughout Bangkok undergo a temporary aesthetic shift ...

Koji Takiguchi: “Sou” – Celebration of Death in the Family

Japan –  Published by Little Big Man Books, Japan, Photography feature – Koji Takiguchi‘s images document his wife and her ...

Tiane Doan na Champassak: Dick 999

India –    THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT Dick 999 published by RVB Books is a collection of anonymous photographs ...

Jannatul Mawa: “Close Distance” – Powerful Portraits of Bangladesh Maids and Their Women Employers

Bangladesh –  Historically, domestic servants worked (only) for food and lodging in better-off homes of predominantly rural eastern Bengal. The ...

Boris Eldagsen: The Poems

Germany –  Boris Eldagsen‘s Photography explore the limits of what can be depicted. The ‘POEMS’ utilise the external reality, to ...

Federico Clavarino: Italia o Italia

Spain –   Italia o Italia is built over the ruins of an unresolved empire, a place in which monuments ...

Hans Gremmen: ‘Peeling off the layers’- Understanding the link between Photobooks and Design

Netherlands –  Hans Gremmen is a talented designer based in Amsterdam known for his innovative work with photo books. Regularly ...

David Hornillos Mediodia

David Hornillos: “Mediodia” – Spanish Midday Love For Orange Brick Wall

Spain –  Madrid’s Atocha station was formerly known as Mediodía (Midday), as it was the city’s Southbound railway hub. This ...