Rania Matar (MA) Lebanon at the Crossroads: the Recent Spread of the Veil in Lebanon
Space Preference: Museum, University, Non-profit Art Space, Commercial Gallery, Artist Studio, Corporate, Commercial Space
Artist Statement This selection is part of a larger body of work focusing on the spread of the veil among women in the Middle East and more specifically Lebanon. The veil was almost non-existent in Lebanon a few years ago and is now predominant among Muslim women, showing the transformations the area has been going through in terms of turning to religion and tradition. I have been working on this project for the past three years and what started as an attempt to understand this new phenomenon is turning into a long-term project as I became gradually fascinated by all the different ways the veil is worn and all the meanings it has taken on. Most of the images submitted are shot on film and are available as silver gelatin prints on 16”x 20” fiber paper, but some more recent have been shot and printed digitally. All the images are available for exhibition as 20”x24”” and 24”x36” archival inkjet prints on fiber paper.
In this photo essay I focus on Muslim women who have embraced religion and the headscarf in recent years for different reasons: modesty, fashion, devotion and statement. Wearing the veil is becoming a decision of choice in the Muslim world. Lebanon, due to its location, its internal conflicts, its kaleidoscope of religions and its politically vibrant population, provides a microcosm of what is going on in the Middle East today. While a large segment of the Lebanese population, mostly Christian, is western-oriented in its outlook, lifestyle and education, a larger segment, mostly Muslim, now has its sights pointed toward the Arab and Muslim world.
Muslims are increasing as percentage of the population due to higher birth rate. They are highly politicized and seething with anger at the news from the hinterland (Iraq, Israel/Palestine, the political tug-of-war with Iran, and the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel). In addition, since September 11, Muslim communities, feeling threatened in a world looking at any Islamic display of piety with suspicion, are finding refuge in their religion and its overt symbols, and finding comfort in belonging to the world-wide Muslim community. The female veil, which was almost non-existent a decade ago in Lebanon, is making a comeback, even among the younger generation, and is having different undertones ranging from devotion, to self-assertion vis-à-vis the West, to a new item of fashion, all leading to the increased social pressure of wearing it among Muslim women of all ages.
The images are all available as 20”x 24” and 24”x 36” archival inkjet prints on Crane’s Museo Rag fiber paper.
Captions
Rania Matar, A Passage from the Koran, Beirut 2005
Rania Matar, The Dead Mother, Bourj El Barajneh Palestinian Refugee Camp, Beirut 2005
