Exhibition by Rania Matar at The Eskenazi Museum of Art, Bloomington IN.

Opening March 05, 2026 – August 02, 2026.

As the fiftieth anniversary of the eruption of the Lebanese Civil War approaches, Lebanon continues to suffer the long consequences of instability. Decades of domestic conflict, precarious peace, corrupt governments, and civilian protest culminated in the August 4, 2020, Port of Beirut explosion, plunging the country into a socio-economic abyss. Amid Lebanon’s tumult, photographer Rania Matar (b. 1964, Lebanon) continues her practice of capturing portraits of young women persisting in uncertain times. Instead of focusing on the devastation associated with her country and the wider region, she trains her lens on young Lebanese women to forefront their creativity, strength, dignity, and resilience.

This exhibition is made possible by generous support from the Jane Fortune Endowment for Women Artists, David and Martha Moore, Kath and Jorge Blanco and members of the Henry R. Hope Society.