Rania Matar: Biography

Rania Matar was born and raised in Lebanon. After studying architecture at American University in Beirut, Matar left Lebanon in 1984 and completed her training at Cornell University in the United States. Matar studied photography at the New England School of Photography and at the Maine Photographic Workshops, and eventually gave up her career as an architect to work as freelance photographer. Her work focuses on women and children in the Middle East, and her recent projects—which examine the Palestinian refugee camps, the veil and its meaning, and the aftermath of war—give a voice to people who have been forgotten or misunderstood. Her work has won several awards, and has been published and exhibited widely in the United States.