Khaled Akil is a self-taught Syrian photographer from Aleppo.

Akil was born into

an artistic family and is the son of established painter Youssef Akil. The artist,
who is a professionally trained lawyer, unapologetically takes on some of the
most difficult issues facing contemporary Middle Eastern society, and in
particular, addresses social, political and sexual contradictions. His work is a
hybrid of photography and painting and is pregnant with layers of ancient
scripts and symbols, exemplifying the intricacies of modern-day Syria.

Please tell us how you became interested in photography. When did you get
your first camera? Who/what inspired you artistically as a youth?

I have two idols in my life my father and my grandfather. My maternal grandfather
Saad Zaghloul Al Kawakibi is a judge by profession and as far as I can remember, has
always had an obsession with photography. I spent my childhood with him, taking
photos with his cameras. Later, he gave me my first camera as a present for my
sixteenth birthday. It was at that point my passion for photography began.

Your father is also an artist. What medium does he work with? What lessons
did you learn from him that are represented in your artwork, techniques, etc.?

I learned from my father Youssef Akil that the most important thing in ones life is
to do what you love doing. This is the route that I have taken in life and which I
continue to take. After completing my studies from Beirut Arab University, I
discovered that I couldnt live without making art that would serve my country
and deliver my thoughts in the best possible way.

You have a degree in Law and Political Science and are a Lawyer. Is there a
connection represented in your artwork between your professional life and
artistic life? Which ones?

My acquaintance with law and politics has helped me significantly in developing
new perspectives in presenting social, political and religious issues found in
modern-day society, especially through the medium of photography. These
perspectives have played a major role in the success of my photography exhibitions
and how I present them to the audience.

I dont work as a lawyer now because once I graduated, the conflict started and
being a lawyer is not a pleasure - especially in country like Syria where corruption
can be found in all the public sectors.

According to your website, you focus primarily on social, political and sexual
issues in the Middle East. Please briefly explain how you examine and
uncover these sometimes sensitive topics in your photographs.

Since I was born in Aleppo and live in Middle East, I grew up watching and
witnessing its own contradictions and its weird mixture of religious, political and
sexual issues.

My first series called The Unmentioned was the first time I revealed these
contradictions and talked about them. Its not easy uncovering these topics and
talking about them! I think it is the duty of each artist to reflect upon what is
happening in society and open new doors for dialogue.

Being that your work may be (to some) challenging and off limits, how is it
received in Syria? Abroad?

I believe that a genuine artist is one who pushes people to question and eliminate
the taboos they grew up with, rather than aiming only to satisfy his/her audience.

My first exhibition in Syria was described as controversial and confusing. I would
describe it as the first of its kind to really drive people to examine what the artwork
really inspires rather than offering ready-made cliche artworks. I can proudly say
that my exhibitions challenge people to question what they have believed before.

Since the Syrian civil war has reached the international news, people abroad started
to search for the real news on the ground. I can proudly state that my art gives them
a broader and more reliable pre-war, during the conflict and post-war vision.

For those who may not be familiar with Syrian art and culture, are there any
illustrations, techniques or themes found in your work that are typically
Syrian? Which ones?

I appreciate that you referred to the audience, who might not be familiar with Syrian
art and culture, since I deeply believe that neither the art nor the culture of Syria is
clearly depicted in mainstream media.

In my exhibitions, I tend to show the pros and cons hidden in contemporary Syrian
and Mesopotamian culture and society. For example, in pieces such as Legend of
Death, I intentionally focus on combining different religious and cultural symbols
and writings. In that work, the image of Christ is in the middle of the artwork with
Arabic writing forming the cross behind and a Quranic verse at the bottom of the
artwork. This is an illustration representing what typically being Syrian really
means.

Please tell us about your upcoming series A Woman Between. What is the
impetus behind it? How is it similar or different than your previous series?

I have to admit that the majority of Syrian women have been subjected to external
factors due to the whims of disorder caused by a patriarchal society. My duty as an
artist is to address and anticipate future problems in society. This is why my

upcoming series called A Woman Between points at the problems we will face in the
very near future due to the struggle and general violence in Syria. Women in Syria
will be widely subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation as a direct result of a war
that has caused nothing but regressing our society back almost 1500 years. The
symbols and themes in this series refer to the current events in Syria and
Mesopotamia and depict the actions of extremists who are mainly driven by their
sexual instincts.
I dedicate my next exhibition to the Syrian women who will need to fight for their
rights and their humanity in order to be able to rebuild a healthy, equal and pure
Syrian society.

As a Syrian artist do you feel compelled to reflect / respond to the current
situation on the ground. How?

Some people reflect their thoughts verbally, others through social media. Artists
reflect their thoughts through art. As mentioned above, A Woman Between is my
response to the current situation in Syria.

Honestly, I dont really know any other way to express myself. I need to add here,
however, that responding to the current situation on the ground doesnt necessarily
come from me being an artist in Syria, but from me being Syrian.

Any upcoming exhibitions, biennales, etc. where our readers can see your
work?

My work can currently be seen at FotoFests International Discoveries V group show
in Houston, Texas through 7 March 2015.

The eight exhibited artworks shown in Houston are from The Legend of Death series.
Those works were carefully chosen to be exhibited abroad in this vulnerable time in
Syrian history. I deeply hope that those works will deliver a message completely
different than the one delivered in the news on a daily basis.