Featured Artist: Waleed Saab

Born and living in Beirut. Currently perusing Graphic Art major at the Lebanese University (Beaux Arts). Waleed has been interested in photography from an early age.

He sees that the Lebanese society offers a wide variety of social issues, characters, and taboos that he can address through photography. His preference genre of photography are the subjects which are relatively unfamiliar and controversial, shocking and stimulating thought. In addition, he is instinctively attracted to geometric shapes evident in his compositions.

Interview:

LR: Hi Waleed.

WS: Salutations

LR: So, What’s your favorite color?

WS: I’m more of a color wheel kind of person.

LR: Tell us a little about your interest in photography of all other visual art mediums.

WS: I haven’t really thought about it and I don’t know, probably hazard, and it grew on me.

LR: You currently use digital photography in your work.  How do you describe the difference between the old method, and the new method, and in what ways did it affect your work?

WS: Analog is definitely better quality wise, the resolution, focusing and the thrill of waiting to see the results. My Canon AE-1 analog 35mm SLR was my tool for learning how to catch the light both properly and the way I want it. Digital is simply more practical, less expensive, more storage capacity and instant preview of the resulting shots.

But when I’ll be able to afford it, I’ll definitely switch to analog, small, medium or/and big format.

LR: You are attracted to geometric shapes in your compositions, why do you think that is?

WS: My mother taught me how to draw perspectives during summer when I was 4-5 and in my childhood my father had a furniture factory and I used to go through the designs and draw tables and chairs, that’s how I learned to see things as geometrical forms and compositions, which I noticed in my pictures a while after I started taking photos and started abusing it.

LR: I guess that the most prominent feature in your work is a challenge to the taboos in our society, from nudity, to sexual content, etc… In a society where we are not so used to these elements being exhibited in an artistic form, and probably considered vulgar by a wide margin within the society, how do you feel about your work getting excepted in Lebanon?

WS: I don’t really care about being accepted, if I was, my work wouldn’t have a function. I’d rather shock and provoke thought. but still the society keeps me from shooting extreme concepts I have in mind, mostly juicy social issues that need extreme and radical treatment, but the way I see them treated through photography could easily get me a black eye and some broken bones from fanatics and if the “religious” people get involved it’d get worst. So I rather keep them inside till I can afford life outside, just in case.

LR: In my opinion, breaking barriers is a fundamental character in any art form. How do you see the future of your work within this framework?

WS: As mentioned above. I’ll keep the dose relative to general society brain capacity.

LR: You probably have heard social criticism of your work, some of it might be positive, some negative, could you tell us the broad outline of these comments?

WS: With Both positive and negative critics most times the question if I lived outside appeared. I think the locals in general are not used to art outside of the beautiful flowers and setting sun kind of subject. Any “darker” subject would feel alien to them. I understand that maybe they have seen too much atrocities which makes them more attracted to “beauty” but those are not the kind of people whom critique I’d take into consideration. I know what to show to whom.  And to be frank I only consider critics about technical matters, the concept and subject themselves are very personal and they evolve as I do, so I only discuss them with people whom opinion I know is based on knowledge and not hormones.

LR: You have taken many nude photos in Lebanon.  Nude photography is still not a popular theme in Lebanon amongst Lebanese photographers, and even finding a model that would pose for nude photography is somewhat difficult.  Tell us a bit about your experience in this domain.

WS: It won’t be as much fun if it gets popular. You need to get the model interested in the theme, provide the right atmosphere and professionalism and you’re set. Or just do it to turn the kink on, depends on the relation with the model.

LR: I have noticed that you do not show the faces of your models in nude themes. Is this a self censorship on your behalf, or is it a difficulty of breaking the taboo, or is it an effect of social pressure, or a models wish or preference?

WS: Government censorship on nude female photography allows showing breasts but not genitals, and that is something I keep in mind while choosing public photos from a shoot. Hiding faces is by choice, just to spare the models sexual harassments, knowing that everyone knows everyone in Lebanon.
LR: How come you haven’t taken a Nude photograph of a male subject? Is it that you haven’t been able to find a model that is willing to do so, or is it something else? Could you elaborate on this part?

WS: It’s simply that I’m not interested in a male’s body as I am in a woman’s, quite natural I’d say. Some new projects involve both women and men, so don’t be sad ladies.

LR: I see that you attracted to Black and White photography.  What is your approach to B/W and color photography?

WS: B/W feels nostalgic, safe maybe, the extremes and all the shades of grey in between. Some subjects feel like they need to be in B/W.

As for color, lately I’ve been pushing colors to the extremes, some of my photos can’t be printed because the colors are way outside the CMYK spectrum and the alternatives are way too different. It’s just that I got bored of real life colors, and I try to create surrealistic atmospheres. It’s most probably a reaction to my excessive logical state of mind at the moment and my aware repulsiveness towards Alice and her wonderland.

LR: The setting of your photographs is very unusual.  Where and how do you decide on these?

WS: I’m always looking around for interesting people and locations, and I know the right people to provide the appropriate (but mostly “inappropriate”) wardrobe if needed (thanks to little miss Carine), once I have those set, I go and see how I can use the elements on location to highlight a certain aspect of the model’s personality or how I see him/her.

LR: Do you think that there is a possibility for exhibiting your work in Lebanon? Would you exhibit if a sponsor is available?
WS: I wouldn’t mind exhibiting if the right context was available, and a sponsor is more than welcome. As long as I don’t have to stick their name on my forehead.

LR: What about professional work? Tell us a bit about some of the projects you have done.

WS: Professionally I’m a graphic design freelancer and I do sales in the graphic/web design domain. Closest job I did in photography that could be considered professional would be a shoot for fashion design students in SMODE, but still I twisted the photos the way I see them and the response was quite positive. I’m currently shooting apartments for a French architecture/interior design website, which is something I really enjoy doing. I’m only SELLING MY SOUL (bah) on commercial shoots to get the cash and buy better equipment and fund my studio/ art gallery project. But I got to admit it’s very helpful, I learned a lot about lighting and it got me some very important contacts.

LR: Any last words?

WS: You didn’t get enough of my bullshit already?

LR: Thanks Waleed, it was a pleasure.  We will keep the news section updated with your latest.
WS: Ahlan

Contact Information:

Waleed’s address on the web is: www.waleedsaab.com

Waleed’s email: saab[[dot]]waleed[[at]]gmail[[dot]]com