The English and Arabic catalogues were published in conjuction with the collateral event of the 53rd Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, an exhibition curated by Salwa Mikdadi.

This second publication of Madani’s work introduces photography in the public space. and explores its ties to urban spaces, particularly in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

Mapping Sitting is the book counterpart to the eponymous exhibition curated by Walid Raad and Akram Zaatari from the Arab Image Foundation. Featuring photographs taken between the 1920s and the 1970s, in Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine and Jordan, it raises questions about portraiture, performance, photography and identity in the Arab world.

This publication is part of a work by artist Akram Zaatari that makes men and women reenact poses from photographs of children. Two adults – a man and a woman – are photographed and videotaped while reenacting the same pose.