Ziad Antar

Ziad Antar is a Lebanese artist born in 1978 in Saida, Lebanon, who currently lives and works in Paris and Beirut. After obtaining a degree in agricultural engineering in 2001, he turned to photography and video as his artistic medium. He directed his first documentary in 2002 on the French photographer Jean-Luc Moulene and has since produced several documentaries for the Arabic news station al-Arabiya.

Antar's work is not overtly political, but it often delves into a world marked by war and violence. His focus is on depicting contemporary Lebanon, with an emphasis on cultural, political, and economic shifts that have occurred in the aftermath of the recent war. In Terres de pomme de terre, Antar reflects on the globalized economic movements that define regional identities. He does so by investigating the potato industry in Lebanon and comparing it to the European situation.

Antar's work is closely linked to the documentary genre, where the focus is on general subjects that allow the viewer to reflect on the subject in a more abstract way, rather than on individuals and their stories. At PAC, Antar presents Terres de pomme de terre, along with a new version of the film shown in its original 16mm format for the first time.

In summary, Ziad Antar is a Lebanese artist who explores themes of war, violence, cultural, political and economic shifts in contemporary Lebanon through photography and documentary film-making.