4 September 2012

In his first major UK solo show, Akram Zaatari brings four pieces of work to FACT's Gallery 1 as part of the upcoming Liverpool Biennial. The exhibition moves from the intimacy and one-on-one connection of a photo studio in Egypt to YouTube videos from across the Middle East.

Akram's work looks at the history of the Arab world through photographs, images and videos. He was one of the founders of the Arab Image Foundation in 1997 which aims to track down and preserve photos from North Africa, the Middle East and from Arabic communities around the world.

His work for Liverpool Biennial includes his 2011 installation Dance to the End of Love which features footage of men driving, singing, dancing, riding motorbikes and bodybuilders all uploaded onto YouTube on the eve of the Arab Uprisings.

Frieze Magazine once described Akram's work as 'political, but not heavy-handed' with 'films that are charming, delicate and intimate, revealing aspects of his own life and of other people's' that show the effect government decisions can have on individuals.

Akram's world is held in the permanent collections of museums and galleries around the world with Tate featuring over 100 of his anonymous, restored pictures from across the Arab world on their website.

Find out more about Akram Zaatari and the other artists who will be FACT as part of Liverpool Biennial 2012 by visiting the project page.