Startling images of the Middle East
Tanya Habjouqa’s Occupied Pleasures project reveals moments of black humour and pleasure in the face of trying circumstances in Gaza and the West Bank. In the first of a new series of Through the Lens, she describes finding a unique entry point into a hyper-narrated place.
Tanya Habjouqa was born in Jordan, and raised between there and Texas. The photographer worked for news agencies in the Middle East – until she started to question the narrative of the mainstream media. “It’s lemming-like – it’s a lemming cycle where people just follow each other,” she tells BBC Culture. “What is the point [of]… telling a story that’s already been told?”
Habjouqa started on the project Occupied Pleasures in 2009. Her images reveal the lives of Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank in a nuanced way, offering glimpses into everyday resilience.
Watch the video above to find out more.
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