Arab Image Foundation launches online platform with 25,000+ archival photographs

Over 25,000 photographs from the Arab Image Foundation's extensive collection are now accessible through a new online platform. The Beirut-based non-profit organization, founded in 1997 by artists Fouad Elkoury, Samer Mohdad, Walid Raad and Akram Zaatari, manages an archive of 600,000 images spanning 50 countries and dating back to the 1860s. A $255,000 digitization project was completed during a three-year hiatus, enabling this digital release. Managing director Marc Mouarkech emphasized the foundation's goal to become more open, inclusive and collaborative through this initiative. The platform aims to stimulate artistic production, academic research and public engagement. Alongside the database, a 'Lab' section supports digital experimentation and online residencies. The foundation's main venue in Beirut will reopen this summer following the completion of this ambitious project.