Randa Mirza - The Sniper (2000 - 2002)

Nearly ten years after the Lebanese Civil War, Randa explored the ruins of a building at a busy crossroads. Climbing to an overhanging vantage point, she set up her camera and watched the city unfold below. In this video, made from black-and-white slides, the photographer’s gaze has eerie resemblances to that of a sniper, aiming at passers-by in a quiet residential street. Observation is turned into a darkly playful role reversal.

Randa is a visual artist who lives and works between Marseille and Beirut. Her practice occupies the space between documentary, artistic writing and personal expression, providing space for reflection, reparation and resistance in the face of violence. Her work is characterised by the interplay between truth and fiction, questioning dominant narratives from a feminist and decolonial perspective