By Elin Spring
Becoming a woman today is fraught. The groundswell of women’s empowerment still confronts the weight of historical bias all across the world. Rania Matar has spent her photographic career delving into female states of becoming, comparing the subjective experiences of girls and women in the US and Middle East, even as she highlights their commonalities. In her latest series, “SHE”, Matar presents young women on the brink of adulthood, as they navigate personal aspirations and doubts. On view from March 16th – April 27th, 2019, Matar’s solo exhibition at Robert Klein Gallery in Boston will have an Opening Reception with the artist on Saturday, March 16th, 2019 from 2:00 – 5:00pm.
“Shelby, Logan, Utah, 2018” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
“Samira, Beirut, Lebanon, 2018” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
Matar has long been a gifted explorer of female transitions, using the stages of her own daughters’ lives as a springboard. “SHE” is both a continuation of and a departure from Matar’s “L’Enfant Femme” series depicting preteens and “A Girl and Her Room” picturing teenagers (each with an accompanying publication.) In Matar’s captivating portraits, the younger girls are sequestered in and around the protective shelters of their homes, while the teens lounge in bedrooms revealing their own expressive designs. “SHE” finds twenty-somethings on the cusp of entering adult society, a somewhat more perilous negotiation. In each series the imagery, too, has evolved with “SHE” proving Matar to be an ever sharper and more sensitive observer of becoming.
“Katie, Brooklyn, New York, 2018” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
“Andrea, Dhour Choueir, Lebanon, 2018 ” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
“SHE” is as layered with meaning as it is ambitious in scope. For starters, the young women in “SHE” have broken away from their home territory, occupying new urban and natural environments that convey a sense of searching, a feeling we can all relate to. The settings are aptly metaphorical, a collaboration between Matar and her subjects that pits their youthful vitality against the constraints and threats inherent in urban life or the intimidating possibilities of an open field.
“Ciearra, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 2018” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
“Kefa, Gambier, Ohio, 2018” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
Matar’s mindful framing focuses our attention on the women themselves, while enriching the compositions with visual elements like architectural features and natural surroundings, rich textures and pitch perfect palette. “Kefa” appears pensive as she traverses a stand of tall, struggling weeds that function at once like a protective shield and a stifling barrier she must find her way past. The blood red fence behind her, the delicate floral pattern of her flowing dress, and especially her cascading veil of lustrous hair, create a declaration of fertile possibility.
“Sara and Samira, Bourj El Barajneh Refugee Camp, Beirut Lebanon, 2018” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
“Molly-Kate, Allston Massachusetts, 2018 ” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
Matar’s empathetic portraiture reaches even further, as “SHE” perceives the struggle for societal and self-acceptance across cultures, in both the Middle East where Matar was born and in the United States where she lives and has raised her own family. With an aesthetic and symbolic focus on the women’s hair or headscarves, Matar’s intensely personal portraits celebrate inner strength and beauty, tinged with mystery and a whisper of uncertainty. Possibly the most uplifting aspect of Matar’s imagery is the subtle, pervasive sense of similarity she evokes, delivering a message of unity the world needs more than ever.
“Nour, Beirut, Lebanon, 2017” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
For more information about this exhibit and/or the Opening Reception on Saturday, March 16th, 2019, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/
Feature Image: “Nour, Beirut, Lebanon, 2017” from the series SHE by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
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