“Clara #2, 8, Beirut, Lebanon, 2012”, archival pigment print by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston)
“L’Enfant-Femme”, Rania Matar’s new series of portraits at Carroll and Sons Gallery in Boston’s South End distills and extends the ideas she has explored so movingly in her series, “A Girl and Her Room” (now on view at the MFA, Boston as part of the “She Who Tells A Story” exhibit. See my review: https://whatwillyouremember.com/2013/08/unveiled/). Whereas “A Girl and Her Room” pictures teenagers on the brink of womanhood, the portraits in “L’Enfant-Femme” focus on girls from the ages of eight to twelve. It is a phase in girls’ lives when they have achieved a level of independence from their parents, their personalities are fully realized and they are not yet affected by the doubts accompanying puberty. This stage in a girl’s life may best presage her adult self, which helps explain the title of the series, translated as “woman-child”.
“Isobel, 12, Lynn, Massachusetts, 2012”, archival pigment print by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston)
As in her series “A Girl and Her Room”, Matar provides an additional layer of interest and complexity by intermixing photographs of girls from the Middle East and the U.S., in this case, from Lebanon and Massachusetts (note: the current MFA, Boston exhibit includes only Middle Eastern teens). But here, Matar leaves behind the telling ephemera of her teens’ rooms to concentrate on the essential personalities of the girls themselves. She accomplishes this on many levels, starting with her deference to each girl’s taste in clothing and extending her keen eye to the ways in which they choose to sit or stand.
“Olivia, 8, Boston, Massachusetts, 2012”, archival pigment print by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston)
Matar photographs on-location at the girls’ homes, but on neutral ground, and often outdoors, rather than in an intimate setting. And yet, each image conveys intimacy without the suggestion of any sexual overtones.
“Juliette, 11, Beirut, Lebanon, 2012”, archival pigment print by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston)
The girls in “L’Enfant-Femme” seem more alike than not, underscoring an affecting universality across cultures. Even though there are hints of ethnicity in their surroundings and physical traits, these portraits concentrate fully on the girls’ expressions and body language – and they are powerful indeed.
“Hanna, 12, Norwell, Massachusetts, 2011”, archival pigment print by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston)
Whether tentative or bold, each girl seems to be declaring, “I am here” with a direct, compelling gaze, delivered at the viewer’s eye level in expressively large and sharply-focused prints.
“Alia, 9, Bourj El Barejneh Refugee Camp, Beirut, Lebanon, 2011”, archival pigment print by Rania Matar (courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston)
Matar’s images in this show are both forceful and gentle, a delicate balance delivered with obvious reverence and, above all, abundant humanity. The exhibit runs through October 26, 2013.
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