Pre-modern Arabic, Islamic, and Persian image culture reflect non-binary gender expressions and homosocial relations as part of everyday life. Strict notions of femininity and masculinity did not necessarily prevail before the modernization process took place in these regions. Instead, specific facial expressions were celebrated as more beautiful than others. In The Eclipse of the (Fe)Male Sun, we present a series of short texts accompanied by several different photographs  from the Asghar Beechareh, Photo Caron, and Studio Marjan Collections from the middle of the 20th century, in Iran, Kuwait, and Lebanon, which are archived at the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut. The Photo Caron and Studio Marjan Collections mainly consist of hand-colored studio portraits of individuals, couples, and families. The Asghar Beechareh Collection contains a unique assemblage of photographs, documenting actors on film and theatre sets.

Nour Helou and Afrang Nordlöf Malekian
Graphic design: Agga Stage