Originally from Lebanon
and currently living in Boston, PHOTOGRAPHER
RANIA MATAR found herself uniquely able to document the universal experiences
that adolescent girls go through, regardless of geographic region. In an
interview with BuzzFeed, Matar discussed her inspiration for the series A Girl and Her Room, in which she
primarily photographs Lebanese and American girls in their personal spaces, a
place that she feels serves as an “extension of the girl.”
“They are so vulnerable at that age. They are trying to fit
in … figure out who they are and how they want to present themselves to the
world,” said Matar.Matar noted that whether in a refugee camp or an apartment
in Boston, the girls’ bedrooms are
the one place they can make their own. “It feels like the world puts you out of
control, and this is the one space that they can control — it’s theirs.”
Siena, Brookline, MA
- Courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons Gallery, Boston
Elham, Shatila Palestinian Refugee / Courtesy of the artist
and Carroll and Sons Gallery, Boston
Mariam, Bourj al Shamali Palestinian Refugee Camp, Tyre, Lebanon - Courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons
Gallery, Boston
Raissa, Medford, MA -
Courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons Gallery, Boston