Syria Al-Assad
Oliver Hartung

Between 2007 and 2009 Oliver Hartung travelled in the Middle East, photographing signs and monuments in Syria that had been put up in honour of the Assad regime, in power since 1971. His book »Syria Al-Assad« is a loose typology of these once-omnipresent objects of regime propaganda, both loved and hated by the population, that dominated Syria’s visual culture. These signs, most of which Oliver Hartung photographed from moving vehicles, were located in what are now combat zones, meaning that they probably no longer exist. In his book all the photos appear on tear-off pages, which can be removed like a leaf from a calendar. The Arabic writing on the signs has been translated into English. The series »Syria Al-Assad« was first presented in 2012 on the New York Times Lens Blog.