LARA ZANKOUL
Lara
Zankoul
Lebanese conceptual photographer. Surreal compositions, fairy atmospheres, underwater rooms. She invents worlds to escape the one we are given.
Lara Zankoul · Fine art photography
"Zankoul's works are anonymous and timeless, universal subjects existing within metaphoric landscapes, where the senses are heightened and exaggerated facets reveal affecting details that otherwise remain obscured."
I love the work of Lara Zankoul, a Lebanese self-taught photographer who began her practice as an economics student at the American University of Beirut, drawn to photography as a kind of escape from reality. Her pictures are characterised by a fairy atmosphere, surreal compositions and a desire to reach an imaginary and aesthetic world. She is influenced by Magritte, Dali, Tim Walker and Tim Burton. In 2011 she was an award recipient at the first Shabab Ayyam Photography Competition. She held her first solo exhibition in 2013 at Ayyam Gallery Beirut and has since exhibited throughout the Middle East and Europe, and been published in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
Leila & Lara · Synopsis · Beirut
Her practice involves an extraordinary degree of physical commitment. Her most memorable shoots, she says, are usually the most challenging ones. For one, she placed a bed in the sea: disassembled it, fitted it in her car, drove it to the coast, and reassembled it there. "Not very practical but it was a nice and a fun adventure. More importantly it was a fruitful photo session that delivered beautiful shots I am very proud of." This is how she works: the image comes first and the logistics arrange themselves around it.
Inspired from classical tales and childhood memories, I try through photography to give a new vision of the world by recreating the harmony of what I see. I am influenced by surreal art from Magritte and Dali, to Tim Walker and Tim Burton.
I love Brooke Shaden's fine art photography: the work and thought she puts into every photo is impressive. I also admire Robert and Shana Parke Harrison, Monika Stojac, and Lara Jade, among many others.
I would like to say that photography changed my life for the better: first by making me happier and more self-satisfied, and it has opened many opportunities. I never thought I would have an exhibition one day but it is happening. Remember to always follow your passion because it will take you places.
"Photography is a kind of escape from reality. Her pictures are characterized by a fairy atmosphere, surreal compositions and a desire to reach an imaginary and aesthetic world."
Leila Antakly · On first encountering Lara Zankoul's work"Many of Zankoul's whimsical images demonstrate an attempt to invent new worlds, to push against the boundaries of reality in order to escape the monotony of ordinary life. At the same time, she offers subtle critiques of modern society."
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