In ‘Utilities’, on view at Dubai's Zawyeh Gallery, Lebanese photographer Dia Mrad documents his home country’s multi-layered economic crisis through Beirut's urban fabric
Dia Mrad’s work stems from his architectural practice; his portfolio considers the built environment, constructing poignant bodies of work that highlight Beirut’s modernist architectural legacies, and pay homage to a city devastated by ongoing economic turbulence.
In Mrad’s Dubai exhibition ‘Utilities,’ he looks at a change in infrastructure to tell the story of Lebanon’s multi-layered economic collapse, from 1970s post-war financial strain and privatisation to Beirut'sMrad documents a movement towards more self-sufficient structures in his home country, with people striving for independence from state utility systems that, since falling into disarray and having been replaced by private providers, have pushed bills up to intolerable highs.