As part of the Global Open Call “Women by Women”, PhotoVogue has awarded three grants to outstanding participants: Myriam Boulos (Lebanon), Alice Poyzer (UK), and Laila Annmarie Stevens (USA).
We talked with Myriam Boulos who received the Outstanding Vision Grant, awarded to an artist pushing creative boundaries.
Myriam Boulos is an artist from Lebanon who graduated with a master’s degree in photography from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in 2015. In 2021 she joined Magnum as a nominee and in 2023 she published the book What’s ours with Aperture.
“Being able to use an object that I’ve always related to oppression in an intimate context adds a layer of pleasure for me. Giving the power (of life or death) to my partner.”Myriam Boulos
Sexual Fantasies is a work based on an open call Boulos launched, inviting women to share their sexual fantasies anonymously. From the texts she received, she created images that function not only as tools to explore female desire but also as a lens through which to interpret the socio-political landscape of Lebanon. Boulos investigates the intimate realm to reveal a multifaceted, often hidden image of her country. Through this collaborative approach, she reclaims the female body and frees it from the dominant narratives that associate Arab bodies with sadness and pain. By centering the body, its needs and desires, Myriam Boulos also addresses other untold subjects such as trauma, shame, rape, eating disorders, and neurodivergence.
