Lebanese photographer represents country at Expo Milano 2015
Stephanie Nehme
The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Renowned Lebanese globetrotter, photographer and visual artist Charbel Bouez was chosen by International Corporate Events, a Lebanese events company, to represent his country at the prestigious Expo Milano 2015, held in Milan.
“I got really excited since I was working for a while on a concept to recreate and redefine the identity of each region in Lebanon. I worked thoroughly on giving a better image for my country, show unknown areas to open Lebanese people’s and tourists eyes to new aspects of our culture,” Bouez told The Daily Star.
For the occasion, Bouez created 15 staged photographs representing Lebanon’s culinary heritage, traditions and lifestyle.
These photos, along with some landscape photographs, are being exhibited at Lebanon’s pavilion under the theme “Cuisine: the Lebanese Art and Soul.”
“Lebanese citizens have been living with an identity problem after the Lebanese Civil War ended. It’s quite scary. I think Lebanon is losing its face, even worse, its soul. The purpose of my photos is to redefine every region by showing its local food and lifestyle in a beautiful way.”
Bouez chose to go with staged photos rather than shooting people in their natural element. “I don’t necessarily prefer staged photos but it is the best solution for the concept I was working on – portraying one region’s culture and food in one photo. Staged photos helped make me reach my goal more beautifully, in a straightforward manner.”
After thorough research about each Lebanese region and conversations with locals, Bouez says he was able through staged photos “to create an identity by choosing the appropriate props and guide the cast to capture their expressions.”
To choose his props and actors, Bouez usually scouts a region several times before the shoot, meets with locals to find a convincing cast and often ends up borrowing interesting props and furniture that they own. “It is not easy to convince locals to pose or to be prepared for the shoot, but it is definitely fun.”
For one of the staged photos, Bouez ended up using an unusual prop – raw cauliflowers at a group of surfers’ barbecue on a public beach in Jiyyeh, south Lebanon. This leaves the viewer wondering about the relation between the uncooked vegetable and the surfers’ casual beach barbecue.
“Cauliflowers are unconventional in Lebanese tradition but they grow in this region and I was informed that they were planted in a field not far from the coast in one of the surfers’ plantations. Cauliflowers are esthetic, colorful, healthy and unusual in a Lebanese photo representing culture and community, so why not?”
At Expo Milan, Bouez’s photos were well-received. “Visitors expressed surprise when they learned about the diversity and beauty of the sceneries of our tiny country. I am sure that my photos helped visitors notice our different beautiful regions and rich culture.”
Refining his craft throughout the years, Bouez is inspired by the work of many photographers and painters. “For me, Steve McCurry is one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography. McCurry covered armed conflicts all over the world, even the Lebanese Civil War.”
What inspires me the most in McCurry’s work is that he focuses on the human consequences of war. I think he is among the best photographers in the world because his photos and portraits are emotions driven with each photo telling a story.”
Yann Arthus Bertrand is another source of inspiration for Bouez. “Bertrand dedicated his life documenting environmental problems and human behavior affecting our planet. He is the producer of ‘HOME,’ a masterpiece in my opinion. The film was released in 2009, almost entirely free of charge to the public. More than 600 million people have seen it so far.”
As for Bouez’s unique photography style, it emerges from his professional training in communication art, passion for adventure and love of nature. His photographs reveal a compassionate understanding of his subjects and continuous exploration of various genres of photography.
As an international traveling photographer he has captured people, landscapes and cultures in Madagascar, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, the UAE, Bosnia, France, Spain, Italy, the U.K., Nepal and Tibet.
Bouez is a persistent hard worker. “I have many plans in mind and I am working on them daily to achieve them. For the coming year, I would be more than happy if my company, Charbel Bouez Visual Communication, continues to grow further.
“I will also be continuing this series of staged photographs about Lebanon, hopefully covering all the Lebanese regions to finally publish a book offering a new vision about Lebanon.” He is also preparing two solo exhibitions, one in Lebanon and another possibly in Paris.
Bouez gives advice to upcoming photographers that wish to make it big. “Culture is really important to enrich one’s imagination and broaden the mind. So reading, researching, being curious, discovering interesting locations and meeting interesting people helps a lot.
“But most importantly, it is all about passion. Without an unconditional love for your job, you will go nowhere. If you don’t like your job enough to face the roughest storms and falling down, well … go choose another job.”