Photographer captures surrealist post-explosion Beirut at Dubai art show
Surreal silos and ruins of ancient buildings are the subjects of the new series of works by Dia Mrad, recently presented at the biggest art fair in the Middle East.
“Walking into the palace, I saw the main entrance door blown apart. I decided to go in," said Lebanese photographer Dia Mrad. “I walked inside carefully, not wanting to touch anything or tamper with the ‘crime scene.’ I was also scared that something might fall on me. It felt like I went inside the building but didn’t step inside.”
Mrad is talking of the experience of shooting "The Road to Reframe," a photo series capturing local architecture after the explosion at the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, and one of the most interesting works that has been presented at the 8th edition of Art Dubai, the biggest art event of the Middle East held at the Dubai World Trade Center on March 16-19.
Mrad’s architectural training influenced his work as a photographer, enabling him to see the buildings in a different perspective, in terms of angles, lighting and the position of his camera in relation to the building. “Studying architecture also provided me with the knowledge of the importance of heritage preservation and the need for urgent action to save it,” he told Al-Monitor.
He noted, “When I started going around the city and photographing, I saw buildings being demolished, or I would come back to an area and find a building missing.”
