Baalbek, Beirut, Leipzig / Life stages of the photographer Mahmoud Dabdoub
Topic:
Art Academies and Academic Exchange
Periods:
1981
Artists:
Mahmoud Dabdoub
Connections to both German states have shaped the biographical development of Palestinian photographer Mahmoud Dabdoub since his youth. In 1981, he moved to the GDR to study in Leipzig.
"Wie fern ist Palästina" ("How far away is Palestine") is the title of a larger body of work by photographer Mahmoud Dabdoub. The theme of everyday life in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon runs from his earliest photographic work around 1980 to the present day - not least due to biographical connections.
Born in a camp in Baalbek in 1958, Mahmoud Dabdoub was artistically active from an early age. He came to photography later when his brother brought back a Praktica camera from the GDR found on a West Berlin flea market after a trip. At the time, Dabdoub was an intern at the PLO's cultural department in Beirut and was allowed to expose and develop films of the organization - some of these images were printed in a magazine affiliated with the institution. It was his contact with Ismail Shammout, painter and head of both the Palestinian Artists' Association at the PLO and the Pan-Arab Artists' Association, that encouraged him to study in the GDR. This undertaking was made possible by the political rapprochement between the PLO and the GDR, which was based, among other things, on cultural exchange.
In 1981, Mahmoud Dabdoub relocated to Leipzig and, during the preparatory language course at the Herder Institute, decided to study photography at the Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst). Towards the end of his studies, he spent six months in Lebanon to prepare his diploma thesis. For this purpose, his collection of earlier photographs was expanded to include new impressions from the camps, always aiming for a dignified portrayal.
Image selection from "Wie fern ist Palästina? Fotos aus palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagern", 2003.
Image selection from "Wie fern ist Palästina? Fotos aus palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagern", 2003.
Image selection from "Wie fern ist Palästina? Fotos aus palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagern", 2003.
Image selection from "Wie fern ist Palästina? Fotos aus palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagern", 2003.
Image selection from "Wie fern ist Palästina? Fotos aus palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagern", 2003.
/
The pictures of his graduation received public attention, also in the Federal Republic of Germany. A group from the West German Association of Workers' Photography had become aware of him during his diploma exhibition at the HGB and invited him to Cologne in 1989. Travel to West Germany or West Berlin was possible for Dabdoub, but often proved difficult, as he had to have a visa and a local guarantor. The return journey from Cologne to the GDR happened to coincide exactly with the day the Wall came down, making it an unforgettable experience for Dabdoub.
In the interview, the photographer talks about various stages of his biography and his photographic career, in particular about the connections to both German states since his youth.
Video interview with the photographer Mahmoud Dabdoub in Leipzig, on 30.11.2023
In the second video, Mahmoud Dabdoub recalls a trip to Greece, which he made alongside two trips to Lebanon and various stays in West Germany during his studies in the GDR.
Video interview with the photographer Mahmoud Dabdoub in Leipzig, on 30.11.2023
In den Jahren 1979 und 1981 reisen fünf Künstler aus der DDR in den Libanon.
Artists:
Edmund Bechtle
Falko Behrendt
Uwe Bullmann
Christian Heinze
Günther Rechn
Distant Divides. Zwischen Libanon und Deutschland
Periods:
2022/04/30–2022/08/28
Exhibitions
Art historian and curator Clementine Butler-Gallie provides insight into the exhibition Distant Divides. Between Lebanon and Germany, which took place in Halle 14 on the grounds of the Baumwollspinnerei in Leipzig.
Timeline 
Articles 
Close article