Mohamad Abdouni is a powerful storyteller whose films and photographs of queer life in the Arab world make visible the beauty, complexity and diversity of human connection. Through intimate portraits that oscillate between libidinally charged performance and everyday scenes of quiet vulnerability, Abdouni builds celebratory narratives around bodily liberation and gender expression in Beirut and the wider region. In doing so, he creates an open space in which viewers might examine their own projections, and to suspend judgement, of others and of themselves.
Abdouni is Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of COLD CUTS, a photo journal exploring queer cultures across the SWANA region. His work has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, New York; FOAM, Amsterdam; Lafayette Anticipations, Paris; and the Lyon Biennale. He was the recipient of the 2023 Lafayette Anticipations Prize at Art Basel. His films have screened at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the BFI London Film Festival, among other international festivals. Alongside his artistic practice, he has directed narrative fashion films and music videos for clients such as Gucci, Vogue, Burberry, Fendi and The New York Times. Most recently, Abdouni has dedicated himself to creating what is arguably the first archive of trans* histories in an Arab country, a project entitled Treat Me Like Your Mother: Trans* Histories From Beirut’s Forgotten Past. The collection resides at the Arab Image Foundation, Beirut.
