Artist's Statement

Rania Matar

Image/PaperSize: 28.8"x36"/ 36.8"x44" Archival Pigment Prints This work focuses on young women and addresses the states of 'Becoming' – growing up, vulnerability, strength, imperfection, beauty, body image, femininity, texture, tactility, self-expression, hair (or in some instances headscarf) – in the context of the relationship to the physical environment and universal humanity. The process is about collaboration and empowerment, and the photo session evolves organically as the young women become active participants in the image-making process. By collaborating with women in the United States where I live, and in the Middle East where I am from, I focus on our essence, our physicality, the commonalities that make us human.