Lara Zankoul is a multidisciplinary artist born in 1987 in Beirut (Lebanon). She studied economics and it was only in 2008, at the age of 21, that she began photography as a self-taught student. Her photographic work begins as a form of personal expression and exploration of his artistic vision. She experiences the bokeh effect which later becomes a key element of her work. Today, Lara Zankoul has opened up to other mediums even if photography remains the center of her practice. She produces many videos, installations and 3D animations. The artist draws his inspiration from surrealist paintings and the Renaissance, photographers Tim Walker and Annie Leibovitz, as well as from the humanities including psychology. 

She doesn't just want to document reality, she wants to experience it. Lara Zankoul uses real or human-sized sets, more plausible than nature. They are odes to Lebanese architecture, especially from Beirut, where you can see divided rooms, painted wall decorations or traditional windows and tiles. You can find the background of her grandparents' house or any other scenery in her aquatic series like The Unseen. It is the addition of strange elements that give the scene this totally surreal aspect, because Lara Zankoul does not manipulate her images. The artist builds a space of dreamlike and surreal creation where everything becomes possible. Thanks to a rigorous and meticulous control of all aspects of her compositions (sets, costumes, characters, lighting, make-up,...), she manages to achieve a final result that is extremely close to her expectations. This meticulous attention to detail allows her to create striking visual narratives imbued with surrealism, fantasy, dreamism and reflection. Lara ZANKOUL creates beautiful and attractive photographs, but nothing is left to chance. Every image has a story in its subtext. In her photographs she captures human behavior, social problems, themes that can make the viewer question himself / herself. She then creates a conceptual narrative that is more like a riddle to be deciphered than a linear discourse. Lara Zankoul does not want to give an answer to a problem, but to make the viewer think about the subject, a process that is particularly evident in her series The Unseen. In this series, she pushes the boundaries of surrealism by creating human-sized aquariums, decorated and equipped to make the environment plausible, which serve as the backdrop for her photographs. Water is an integral part of the work because it allows her to exploit the invisibility, duality, or contrast between what is submerged and what is above it. Everything above the surface is visible, and what is submerged is a hidden reality. Through this process she addresses complex social, societal and political issues by inviting the viewer to reflect on their feelings and interpretation of the scene. Lara Zankoul "invites the viewer to decipher hidden symbols and interact with the image to reflect on their reality and personal experience. What seems so unreal at first may be closer to the complexity of our minds than we think". Lara Zankoul "invites the viewer to decipher hidden symbols and interact with the image to reflect on their reality and personal experience. What seems so unreal at first may be closer to the complexity of our minds than we think". 

Since 2014, Lara Zankoul has been exhibiting in collective and solo exhibitions at national and international level. In Beirut, she has exhibited at Ayyam and Art Lounge galleries, and abroad at Guy Hepner Gallery in New York and HEIST Gallery in London. Her photographs have also been featured in prestigious publications, including fashion magazines such as Vogue and Haper's Bazaar. She is a finalist in the 2021 Hasselblad Masters and winner of the third edition of Broncolor's Gen Next.

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Text written by Sarah Maurin - copyright Art Girls