Now On View
Louder Than Hearts
Women Photographers from the Arab World and Iran
May 9, 2024 - January 10, 2025
Curated by Rania Matar
In partnership with Tribe
Louder Than Hearts features the work of ten women artists from the Arab World and Iran who capture the resilience, strength, beauty, and creativity of women in the region, often in the face of great adversity.
The Egyptian, Iranian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Saudi, and Yemeni photographers represented in the show explore the diversity of experiences and personal narratives told by women across a vast geographic area. Each project showcased is deeply personal, each story distinct. Yet together, these works underscore the shared humanity of women, weaving together the threads of personal and collective life experiences while providing insights into the artists' perspectives and realities, as well as their strengths and vulnerabilities.
The exhibition reveals the role of both the photographers and their protagonists as trailblazers and catalysts for change in their communities, providing a portrait of women in the Middle East as voices of peace, courage, and hope.
The title is adopted from a poetry collection on love and loss by Lebanese poet Zeina Hashem Beck. The exhibition is presented by the Middle East Institute (MEI) in partnership with Tribe, a non-profit publication and platform focused on documenting photography, film, and video from the Arab world.
Book appointment to visit in person
Visit the MEI Art Gallery
The MEI Art Gallery is open to the public weekdays from 10am to 5pm (closed for federal holidays). Visitors are encouraged to register for a timed visit at the link below, but walk-ins are also welcome.
Opening Art Talk - Louder Than Hearts: Women Photographers from the Arab World and Iran
MEI Arts and Culture Center Director Lyne Sneige speaks with photographer and exhibition curator Rania Matar about her work in MEI's latest gallery exhibition "Louder Than Hearts: Women Photographers from the Arab World and Iran."
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Tribe is a non-profit publication focused on documenting photography, video and new media from the Arab world. As a global platform, its core mission is to create an archive and stimulate dialogue about the artists--emerging and established--who are defining their practice.
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