Hala Dabaji

Née a Beyrouth en 1981, Hala Dabaji est diplomée en arts plastiques de l'Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts. Elle y participe à des ateliers de gravure , de sérigraphie, de lithographie avec l'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Elle expose au Centre Culturel Francais de Beyrouth en 2002 et 2004 : à la galerie Epreuve d Artiste en 2003, 2004, et 2006 ; au Musée Sursock en 2003 et 2005. De maniere moins conventionnelle, elle projette une   oeuvre au Basement et crée des illustrations pour les locaux de DDB Levant, où elle travaille en tant que creatif depuis Mars 2006.

"Huit Portraits Robots"

Drawings on canvas 2006. Eight realistic drawings representing the faces of the politicians responsible (or accomplices) of the war against Lebanon; From left to right: George w. Bush, Condolisa Rice, Tony Blair, John Bolton, Ehud Olmert, Dan Halutz, Amir Peretz, Tsipi Livni.

Like traditional identikits of murderers researched by the police, it implies that they haven't been judged yet. Mixing their hair cut is a way to say that the process of identification of the suspects is not ultimate therefore that justice and truth have failed. It was also a pretext to laugh at them.

"The Shiny People"

Digital photography, 2006. This document shows a resistant reluctant to expose his identity. His attempt to try to hide himself from the camera in addition to the bad condition of the shooting gives an indistinct image.   The use of the flashlight lightens and flattens its facial features. The writings next and above the image suggest that the picture fits in a page of a newspaper.  

During Israel's aggression against Lebanon it was said that Hezbollah's military actions were "invisible", "unreadable", "inaccessible"...

It has led me to make a portrait of a Hezbollah activist according to these same adjectives: A resistant "resisting" in revealing himself to Israel, to the camera...

I also wanted to include a mystical aspect to this portrait that would justify the flashlight that illuminates his face, as if his remoteness made him more beautiful and "shiny", like a fascinating movie star as suggested in the title and in the picture that looks more or less like a paparazzi shot.