Picture an Arab Man celebrates the physical- of marginalised communities and – as with ity of its sitters with a rather sweet sensitivity
Picture an Arab man – as she hands over
and impartial straightforwardness. The men
the camera remote to everyday Palestinians,
are semi-nude and the approach is minimal-
Abdul Hadi raises the question of autonomy
ist. The titular use of ‘Arab’ is encompassing
over one’s own image. There is a pervasive
rather than blanketing: the 38 sitters are
sense of the documentary with a focus on
reflective of the large geography but also
the honest recording of the everyday. The
its diversity, representing Egypt, Lebanon,
delicacy of the portrait series such as Picture
Iraq, Syria and beyond. Their poses are
an Arab man belies the scarred landscapes
often inward, contemplative, sometimes
captured in other projects: cemeteries that
smiling, with each image breaking through
are created to be the resting places of both
the archetype of hypermasculinity with an
people and warheads, to dilapidated
unexpected gentleness. Abdul Hadi says her
houses that show the footprint of war
goal is to “shed light on the injustices that
amongst communities.
have put them in their situation, but at the same time to represent them as humans and
Tamara Abdul Hadi’s photographs have
not one Monolithic voice and experience.
been published in The New York Times,
Struggle is universal.”
The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian amongst others. On whether there is any
“I feel that our generation is the first to truly
crossover between her personal and
vocalise a diverse representation of who we
professional work, Abdul Hadi says “they
really are,” explains Abdul Hadi. Her port-
have definitely intersected at some points,
folio reverberates with an honest naturalism.
while others are completely separate. I ap-
Self Portraits from Inside Palestine (Ramal-
proach both projects the same way through
lah, 2011) tackles the underrepresentation
the lens.” • natasha morris
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