Through the Lens: Latif Al Ani's Visions of Ancient Iraq

Through the Lens: Latif Al Anis Visions of Ancient Iraq explores how Latif Al Anis photographs and contemporary Iraqi artists challenge the colonial appropriation of Iraqs ancient past. The book features archival documents, lithographs, 1960s photography, essays, and the work of five contemporary Iraqi artists who reflect on Iraqi cultural identity and heritage.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 19 December 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

In the early 19th century, Mesopotamian and early Islamic ruins became the focus of numerous Western colonial expeditions. These missions, which often disregarded the role and knowledge of local communities, came to shape the historical narrative of ancient civilizations and modern people. In Iraq, home to renowned sites like Babylon, Dur-Kurigalzu, Ctesiphon, Hatra, and Samarra, foreign excavations appropriated ancient cultures and influenced how they were interpreted and transmitted. And these excavations still reverberate today in understandings of Iraqi identity. Through the Lens: Latif Al Anis Visions of Ancient Iraq, centered around the images of pioneering Iraqi photographer Latif Al Ani (1932–2021), highlights the voices of those who explored the Iraqi past and the deeply personal stories of those who confront its legacy, challenging the Western colonial narrative that has dominated for centuries. The companion volume to an exhibition at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, the book features archival documents, lithographs, 1960s photography, essays that explore the rich history of ancient and modern Iraq, and the work and personal accounts of five contemporary Iraqi artists who reflect on the complex issues of Iraqi cultural identity and heritage. Contributors include Adel Abidin, Narmin Amin, Pedro Azara, Roberta Casagrande-Kim, Abdulrahman K. Darwesh, Nelida Fuccaro, Nadine Hattom, Hanaa Malallah, Nat Muller, Mahmoud Obaidi, and Ala Younis. Distributed for the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University Exhibition Schedule.

Weight: 690g
Dimension: 332 x 298 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691973920