Akram Zaatari (b. 1966, Lebanon) has produced more than 50 films and videos, all of which share an interest in writing histories. His works pursue a range of interconnected themes, subjects and practices related to excavation, political resistance, the lives of former militants, the legacy of an exhausted left, the circulation of images in times of war and the play of tenses inherent to various letters that have been lost, found, buried, discovered or otherwise delayed in reaching their destinations. The artist has played a critical role in developing the formal, intellectual and institutional infrastructure of Beirut’s contemporary art scene. As a co-founder of the Arab Image Foundation, Zaatari has made invaluable and uncompromising contributions to the wider discourse on preservation and archival practice. He represented Lebanon at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013), and his work has been featured at Documenta 13 (2012), the 12th Istanbul Biennial (2011) and other venues.