Akram Zaatari
"Anonymous (Jradi and a friend)", Studio Shehrazade, Saida, Liban
“The two men were relatives and both were in the Lebanese Army.”
– Hashem El Madani
Hashem El Madani, a studio photographer in Saida, began working in 1948. Like all studio photographers his subjects came to him. The studio had a constant flux of visitors. It was perceived as a safe haven, where the subjects of his photographs could act out their fantasies within the conventional format of portrait photography. Madani records the poses, clothes and behavior of his clients reflecting the social and political context in which they lived as well as the norms and the taboos. He portrays anonymous personages, people who normally fall below the radar of public interest. Akram Zaatari initiated the project to bring these photographs to public attention through the Arab Image Foundation which now manages the Madani archive.