Camille Zakharia
“I have been documenting the journey I embarked on after leaving Lebanon in 1985, at the height of the civil war. I deconstruct raw images I have gathered—photographs of friends, landscapes, family members, everyday details, and domestic interiors—and create collages that reflect a fractured inner self, wounded by war and displacement.
Looking back at my practice, I see the evolution from an innocent child displaced from his homeland by harsh political circumstances, burdened by fractured thoughts and broken feelings, into someone who has come to terms with what life can offer. Making art is my way of making peace with myself. It is also my way of seeking peace in a world without miracles. Art remains a powerful language for bridging divides and connecting people in this turbulent world.”
Camille Zakharia earned a Bachelor of Engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1985. Shortly after graduating, he left Lebanon at the height of the Lebanese Civil War. He subsequently lived in the United States, Greece, Turkey, Bahrain, and Canada before returning to Bahrain in 1999. While in Canada, he earned a second bachelor’s degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, from NSCAD University in Halifax in 1997.
For the past four decades, Zakharia has documented the journey that began with his departure from Lebanon. Many of his projects explore transformation in relation to the landscapes that have surrounded him. They include images addressing the impact of the civil war on Beirut’s buildings; the rapid transformation of Sharjah’s urban landscape; Omanis’ close relationship with nature, including fishermen and farmers; and Bahrain’s reclaimed coastlines.
Zakharia’s work has been included in numerous biennials and festivals and is held in the collections of museums and cultural institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum, and the Wichita Center for the Arts (all United States); the Victoria and Albert Museum (United Kingdom); the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Canada); the Musée Suisse de l’Appareil Photographique (Switzerland); the Barjeel Art Foundation and Jameel Arts Centre (both United Arab Emirates); the Bahrain National Museum and the Shaikh Ebrahim Center for Culture & Research (both Bahrain); and the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Saudi Arabia.
“Composition IV”, 2026, photomontage printed on Archival Hahnemuhle Fine Art Paper (100x50cm)