These incredibly beautiful and moving portraits of women in Lebanon showcase the resilience of the country’s war-torn residents

Home / Photography books / These incredibly beautiful and moving portraits of women in Lebanon showcase the resilience of the country’s war-torn residents

Published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the Lebanese Civil War, this book is designed to highlight the creativity, resilience and dignity of its subjects.

The title, Where do I go?, comes from some graffiti the photographer Rania Mater herself encountered on a wall, and is a thread which binds all of the work together.

Beginning when Matar returned to Beirut after the 2020 Port explosion, the project saw her work closely with women across the country. Matar herself left Lebanon aged just 20, and recognised her own experience in many of her subjects who face a difficult decision about whether to stay or leave.

A woman's reflection photographed as she is holding up a mirror with the sea in the background — Rianna (with Mirror), Amshit, Lebanon, 2024. Image: Rania Matar

The photographer works closely with the subjects, who each select the locations and decide how active they want to be in the frame – do they want to climb trees or rocks, do they want to enter abandoned buildings, or step into water. The aim is to give these women agency over both the setting of the shot and their representation within it.

A woman in white dress stands in the corner of a derelict house — Perla, Where Do I Go ,لوين روح Kfarmatta, Lebanon, 2021. Image: Rania Matar

Locations themselves include coastlines, mountains, urban districts and border zones. They go across the Mediterranean, and take in Beirut’s eclectic architecture. Whether in a remote landscape or a famous neighbourhood, Matar works with the backdrop to produce her beautiful work.

A woman stands in an archway with a large windoe illuminating her — Rhea, Aley Grand Hotel, Aley, Lebanon, 2023. Image: Rania Matar

Always, there are reminders of the country’s difficult past. Whether that be bullet-scarred interiors, grand abandoned mansions, shuttered theatres or even just ordinary streets which demonstrate the echoes of conflict. Above all however, we’re reminded just how beautiful the place is, and how magnificent it can be for a backdrop for a portrait sitter.

through a derelict buildings doorway we see blue flowers and in the background a woman in a pale pink dress — Rianna, Chartoun, Lebanon, 2022. Image: Rania Matar

An interesting essay is also included in the book, by the curator Elliot Josephine Leila Reichert, who has put together an accompanying show for the book, currently taking place in the USA. In this Reichert surmises that while few artworks about Lebanon managed to escape its sad history, Matar’s photographs look to the present in a hopeful and sustainable way.