George Lewis

Photographer George Lewis lived in the Middle East between 2007 and 2011. There, he produced fascinating work that explores the cultures of the Islam and Arab worlds. He photographs men and women in traditional dress of the region. Most interesting are the shots of women in burkas. In works like “Behind the Veil” and “Hidden.” He shows women dressed in black burkas set against a dark background, revealing only their eyes.

Lewis investigates questions of gender, sexuality, power, and freedom in the Islamic culture. Lewis explains, “I aim to reveal something unexpected as well as beautiful in these images. These photographic ‘juxtapositions’ attempt to provide some insight and context for the social environments and cultural landscapes they denote, while offering aesthetic satisfaction with an injection of humor and the element of surprise.” Lewis’s work is found worldwide in many notable collections including that of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Robert Holmes Tuttle, and the Maharaja of Jodhpur, India.