feature: Munir Abdallah
If you think his Munir Abdallah’s imagery is at all controversial (check out his uncensored gallery page at the end of this article), imagine how it must go over in Beirut, Lebanon, where Munir lives and works as a photographer and Tai Chi instructor. In the eighties- yes, over 30 years ago- he abandoned studying cinematography to devote himself to photographing the male nude, but it wasn’t until 2017 he even started considered showing his work publicly out of fear of the potential backlash to the nudity and homosexual content depicted in his work.
Abdallah’s three passions- cinema, DC Comics, and graphic novels- are apparent influences on his composition, and seem to directly inform his dramatic and intense representations of the masculine form and homosexual intimacy. Munir’s first solo exhibition, Fleeting Acts in November 2019 is considered to be the first explicit gay photo exhibition in the Arab world.
[dandy:] Tell us about where you live.
[Abdallah:] I live and work in Beirut, Lebanon. Beirut is one of the few cities in the world where western and oriental culture fuse in a most enigmatic charming mixture, Istanbul bears a similarity. Beirut is quite a vibrant city, chaotic, oppressive sometimes, liberating in other times.
Describe your work in five words or less?
Open, disturbing, sexy, controversial, unconventional.
Turn Ons?
Family, Joe, looking at my potted herbs on my window sill first thing in the morning, good love making, the sea.
Turn Offs?
Lying, bad sex, betrayal, small talk.
Art Crush?
Diane Arbus, I admire the openness and the unapologetic attitude of how she presents her subjects.
Personal Crayon Color?
I don’t favor one color over another, favoritism differs according to my mood. However I have an inclination toward red and orange. They represent enormous energy, passion, blood, sex, sin, revolution… and it probably matches the liveliness of Beirut’s streets and people and the mostly sunny sky and kind weather.
Ideal place to display your work?
I would love to have my work displayed someday at MOMA.
Favorite non-art pastime?
I don't really have many hobbies. I enjoy watching movies, reading comics and fiction, listening to music. Anything related to art and inspiration.
What's next?
My whole new project is a kind of social study of the Beiruti male gay community in the age of COVID-19. It is an intrusive project divulging the intimacy of homosexual sex and emotions.
Some of our favorite work of Abdallah’s is too erotic for the public pages of dandy. Please take the time to visit his work in the adult-verification-protected gallery to get a stronger sense of his interest and style.
more work in the uncensored gallery
please take the time to let us know what you think in the comments below.
website :: munirabdallah.com
instagram :: @Munir.A.Abdallah
