Bayn Suwarna, Arabic for ‘among our photographs’, is an independent project and visual archive that spotlights impactful photography from the Middle East and North Africa and publishes reviews of photography books old and new.
Bayn Suwarna explores social and political themes such as culture, conflict, longing, and love through documentary-style photography of the region and studies but rejects exoticizing, dehumanizing, or otherwise exploitative photography.
Objectives
First, to examine how the Middle East and North Africa are photographed and to explore who gets to document the region, what imagery and messaging is chosen for public consumption, and why.
Second, to center and draw attention to photographers native and sensitive to the region and their published work.
Third, to provide a public platform for the discovery of photography books related to this project’s mission.
Project Features
Photography Book Reviews
In-depth reviews of photography books and monographs about the Middle East and North Africa with specific focus on how these publications and photographers treat their subjects.
Spotlights
Brief reviews of individually powerful photographs that merit further contextualization, commentary, or appreciation.
Photography Collections
Visual essays assembled from projects or bodies of work that engage important social, cultural, and political themes and that are often unpublished in print media.
Bookshelf
A consolidated collection of photography books and references organized by country or theme.
This website will also publish interviews with photographers and reflections on matters such as the ethics of documentary photography, the development and design of photography books, and contemporary challenges faced by photographers not just in the Middle East and North Africa but also in other frequently exploited regions of the world.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or recommendations? Send a message to skk@baynsuwarna.com.