Laura El-Tawany is intent on portraying the truth

Egyptian photographer Laura El-Tantawy has built an exceptional career by capturing narratives and nations through her own colourful lens. Having lived between Cairo, England, Saudi Arabia and America, Laura El-Tantawy draws on the dynamic beauty of culture and creativity to tell stories with conscientious care. As a photographer, Laura gained global recognition for her series In the Shadow of the Pyramids, centring the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 held in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. A project that reflects the undertone of movement and emotions often found in her work. Forever twisting between candid documentary photography and abstract autobiographical art, we asked Laura about her journey so far, and the process and purpose she has come to foster as a photographer.

We’d love to hear a little about your younger years. Could you tell us who inspired you to first pick up a camera, and what encouraged you to pursue your career?

I didn’t have anyone in my immediate surroundings engaging with photography as a story telling or artistic tool. My mother is a textile artist and my father is a doctor. My mother’s artistic sense and my father’s commitment to his practice both inspire me greatly. My father was always the designated photographer on our family holidays. I suppose he was the first person I saw using a camera. A professional photographer from my childhood perspective was someone you went to in a studio for a passport picture. I never thought of photography as a career — I didn’t know it can be a career. I discovered photography at university. I was studying towards a degree in journalism and opted for a photo class out of curiosity and because I thought it would be an easy credit. Little did I know that it would change my life. My family was surprised by my choice of photography as a career. I think it still perplexes them. There’s isn’t a historic precedent for photography as an art form in Egyptian culture in the same way that we see the influence of painting, sculpture, cinema and literature. Its potential is being explored in contemporary Egypt.

‘Faces of a Revolution #7: Safeya's Tears - Cairo, Egypt.’ From the series In the Shadow of the Pyramids (2005-2014). Copyright ©Laura El-Tantawy.

Your photographs are utterly unique works of art (as are your books!). What draws you to capture a moment in time?

I make photographs when I have something to say. This is typically inspired by a certain feeling or mood that I am experiencing. Photography is a way for me to communicate what I’m unable to put in words. My approach to making photos is spontaneous. It’s not story driven as much as it is issue driven — the two are very different paths to image making. A story is confined to a beginning, middle and end while an issue is more loosely tied to a narrative, which you can structure in a lyrical way. My work always starts with a title. This becomes my point of focus and I always go back to it when I feel lost, which happens every now and then. When building a narrative, I think about the larger picture — what the work is saying, how I want to illustrate this and what is the best way to present it in a book form. Obviously this develops over a number of stages, it’s not simple or fast. The picture is driven by instinct while narrative is motivated by an overarching theme. My work typically looks at big issues a lot of people relate to — freedom, dignity and belonging, but its’ driven by my personal experience. I tell my students to find what is unique to their journey and photograph it. I believe this is the only way.

“Chandrabhan Zitheu Chaturkar, 70, hung himself in his house on May 2, 2010. He owed 16,000 Indian rupees (US$217)”. From the series I’ll Die For You (2008-present). Copyright ©Laura ElTantawy.

““I approach photography the same way I approach conversation. I speak when I have something to say, listen when I have nothing to contribute.””

Trust is absolutely necessary. Otherwise what is the point of doing the work if authenticity and honesty are not at its core? I tell people my intention and try my best to get everyone’s name and their story. This was challenging in Tahrir Square because of the vast crowds. My work is quite impressionistic and on many occasions it can become too abstract that people’s stories can get overarched by my visual language. It’s important for me to allow people’s voices to be heard. I believe people are at the heart of all my work.

‘Women of Tahrir - Cairo, Egypt.’ From the series In the Shadow of the Pyramids (2005-2014). Copyright ©Laura El-Tantawy.

What led you to develop your colourful style of photography? And did you ever find yourself questioning the direction your work took?

Colour has always influenced me. I am inspired by life even if I photograph unpleasant situations. Colour is energy, life at its peak. I hear photographers talking about how they see the world in layers of black and white. I never have this experience — I see the world in fiery colours. It’s challenging working with colour in this way because only certain situations become photographable. You have to know how to use it the ‘right’ way for what you want to say. Even within that, how you manage those colours and integrate them in the feeling of the work takes time. It took me at least 10 years to get to a place where I feel confident about my visual language, to be able to use it with a sense of authority. I don’t believe you can reach people if your artistic voice is stuttered with doubt. You must have agency on your work and your artistic choices must be justifiable.

““Photography is a progressive medium and I believe I must
respect it by expanding my approaches and finding different visual solutions to communicate a narrative.””

Only few people know this about me — I shot one story in black and white when I was at university. It was a picture story about a 95-year-old man named Albert who lived in a care home in Athens, Georgia, USA. I spent a couple of months photographing him, but mostly we talked. He passed away suddenly and I haven’t photographed in back and white since. As for your final question — yes, I question my work all the time. It’s important for me to interrogate what I’m doing and not get too comfortable. I share ideas and new work with no more than three people whose opinion I trust and value and who equally respect my vision and have been companions on my artistic journey. The kind of work I do exposes certain vulnerabilities and it’s important for me to recognise this and protect it.

As a British/Egyptian photographer, how important has it been to capture the Middle East from your own female perspective?

The Middle East has been pigeonholed as an aggressor — a place where people seek violence over peace. That of course is nothing but a convenient and lazy narrative Western media have projected on the region, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11, although it goes back much further than that. As a child growing up in the Middle East, you consume a lot of politics — you eat, breathe and sleep politics because it seeps into everything. In Egypt, we have historically been represented by governments that alienate us — a Turkish monarchy, years of British and French colonialism and for the past 68 years, by military leaders who don’t have a vision that nurtures the young generation. It’s almost impossible to advance into adulthood without any remnants of this in your system. Themes around home, belonging, social, political, and environmental issues are at the root of my work — it’s about a sense of self and individualism that was never instilled in me/us, historically, culturally or traditionally.

‘Sunset Through my Childhood Window, Cairo, Egypt.’ From the series In the Shadow of the Pyramids (2005-2014). Copyright ©Laura El-Tantawy.

““It is important for me to show the Middle East through my
experience. But that is only one point of view — other people will show a different experience.””

Looking at your series, The Veil, can you tell us about your own ideas attached to womanhood and why it's important to change the stigma attached to women who choose to wear a veil?

The Veil was a result of my experience growing up as a child of the East who grew into an adult of the West after living and working in the US and Europe for much of my adult life. The media I was exposed to was showcasing a strange and unfamiliar image of my culture — my family, women I know, stories I know were not true. It was at that moment I realised my imprint as a photographer was one where I would explore stories pertaining to my background. It triggered me enough to want to say something about it.

In the Veil I wanted to show the fabric covering was being exploited as a tool of political alienation towards Muslim women. So I looked at other traditions that use the veil as a way of expressing modesty in public — namely India and Catholic nuns, who surprisingly are never ostracised for covering their hair as part of their religious practice. Essentially the veil can unite women rather than divide them.

‘Varanasi, India.’ From the series The Veil (2008-2012). Copyright ©Laura El-Tantawy.

What role does mentorship play in your life?

When I started my career as newspaper photographer in the US, I worked with a seasoned roster of photographers at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who had been taking pictures for as long as I had been living. They took me under their wing and I learned so much from them. This really is the root of my foundation as a photographer. I see mentorship as a way to pass the baton to someone else. To share my experiences to support their career forward. I offer different mentorship opportunities supporting people with whatever they need. One of my current mentees who I’ve been working with for two years is about to publish his first book. It’s really exciting to look back on where we started and how far he has come. I also learn a lot from teaching and mentorship, so I see it as an even balance.

“Fayek Mohamed Mahmoud Anabousey, 77, says his soil has suffered irreparable damage from extensive Israeli military and tank presence using his land as grounds for conducting their training”. From the series I’ll Die For You (2008-present). Copyrigh… — “Fayek Mohamed Mahmoud Anabousey, 77, says his soil has suffered irreparable damage from extensive Israeli military and tank presence using his land as grounds for conducting their training”. From the series I’ll Die For You (2008-present). Copyright ©Laura El-Tantawy.

Your series 'In the Shadows of the Pyramids' leaves us asking these question - What role does photography play in regards to connecting with your identity of self and of a culture? And what was your biggest takeaway from bringing these many years of photos together?

In the Shadow of the Pyramids is like an obscure dream, a metaphor for the euphoria and surreality of those years and the reality I was confronting individually and the whole country was confronting together. I certainly feel the work in its entirety is a reflection on my urge to understand my country, my home, my people and where I fit in this landscape after so many years living far away. How do you make a home of a place that no longer feels familiar? It was during the course of making the work I realised I had only known Egypt through my childhood memories — sepia toned, sentimental and painted with innocence. As an adult, I had spent most of my life outside Egypt. Creating the work was a way for me to confront my sense of self and justify an identity I couldn’t quite comprehend. I can’t say I have left this work behind me and moved on. I thought I had, but it keeps pulling me back over and over. Having said this I think the takeaway for me has been that I can confront my insecurities and make something positive out of them. I’m so proud of this work, the journey it took me on, the people I met and the sense of solidarity it revealed. It taught me to keep fighting because it’s worth something — as people chanted in the square: “Bread, Freedom, Social Justice”. It’s an appeal to our sense of self, dignity and unity. If you heard that, it’s impossible not to be changed by it.

‘The People Toppled the Regime - Cairo, Egypt.’ From the series In the Shadow of the Pyramids (2005-2014). Copyright ©Laura El-Tantawy.

You have discussed the importance of creating responsibly as a visual storyteller. What inspired your approach to creating in this humane and aware way?

I think this comes with the territory. There is no other start or end point in my view. Photography visualises history. It demands respect, honesty and modesty. Working on sensitive and extremely difficult stories requires those values. I also feel I am duty bound towards the people I photograph and the issues I take on in my work — it’s uncompromisable. I studied photojournalism and started my career as newspaper photojournalist. My foundation is based around those core values. I respect the ethical boundaries working this way puts on me as a practitioner.

““It’s an expression of how photography is not just clicking shutters, but thinking responsibly, communicating honestly and creating empathically””

‘The River Nile,’ from the series I’ll Die For You (2008-present). Copyright ©Laura El-Tantawy

What is your fondest memory of taking a photograph?

So many moments come to mind to be honest. Tahrir Square certainly rouses positive memories but difficult ones, too. I think what stays with me from Tahrir was the sense of collective determination and shared fate. It was so special and beautiful. The feeling of the ground shaking below my feet as people chanted in unison and the acts of kindness and generosity people exchanged. It was humanity at its best — a utopia. I also think of many moments in the course of doing my series I’ll Die For You — people allowing me into their homes and sharing deeply intimate stories about their loved one’s suicide and their financial burdens. It’s such a privilege and a responsibility to be on the receiving end of this.

Looking at your beautiful books, how has design and creating physical objects for people to hold played a role in the way you present your work?

I love books that push the medium beyond its traditional form and engage with our senses. I see a book as a continuation of the life of the project rather than its point of termination. This is how I approach all my books. I bring all the feelings that I express in the images into the physical book. I work with fantastic designers who help me achieve my vision. I have worked with Syb on all but one of my books so far. He approaches design the way I approach photography — from an emotional place. I have learned so much about making books. I am so excited about the future of bookmaking — imagine a day when we can incorporate audio and video. So many possibilities to look forward to!