Hrair Sarkissian earned his foundational training at his father’s photographic studio in Damascus. He is considered one of the leading conceptual photographers of his generation. Spanning photography, moving image, sculpture, sound and installation, Sarkissian’s practice creates meditative dreamscapes in some moments; deathscapes in others—sites where the muted voice, absent from the frame, is temporarily offered space to breathe. Selected recent solo exhibitions include Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Fotografisk Center in Copenhagen, Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Bonniers Kunsthal in Stockholm, Sharjah Art Foundation and Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas. Sarkissian also participated in the Aichi Triennale in Nagoya, the British Art Show 9, the 14th Sharjah Biennial, the Brighton Photo Biennial, the Sursock Museum in Beirut, the Imperial War Museum in London, the Baltic Contemporary Art Centre in Newcastle, the 10th Bamako Encounters African Biennial of Photography, the Armenian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennial (awarded the Golden Lion), Tate Modern in London, the New Museum in New York, and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. Sarkissian is on the Advisory Board of the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut.
Khaled Hiatlih is an archaeologist and cultural heritage specialist with more than 15 years of experience in documenting endangered heritage and combating the illicit trafficking of artifacts from Syria and Iraq. At Heritage Roots and Leiden University, he leads the Focus Raqqa Project, documenting the looting of the Raqqa Museum, tracing displaced artifacts, and raising public awareness about the destruction and illegal trade of Syrian cultural heritage. His work combines archaeological field experience with digital documentation and heritage protection. In addition to his work on Raqqa, he has contributed to major heritage initiatives with the University of Pennsylvania’s Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program, as well as with ATHAR Project and other international projects focused on safeguarding vulnerable cultural property, supporting restoration, and advancing the protection of archaeological sites and museum collections threatened by conflict and smuggling
