Lucien Lung
This was also Gaza
This Was Also Gaza is a photographic project by Lucien Lung that portrays everyday life in Gaza, beyond stereotypes of radicalism and repression. In this small territory, often described as an open-air prison since the Israeli blockade and Hamas’ control, Lung captures moments of resilience and humanity.
His images depict daily scenes: children building sand pyramids on the beach, adults gazing at the narrow horizon from plastic chairs, and volunteers caring for Gaza’s only animal shelter. He also documents the consequences of bombings, such as Ayoub, who repurposes rubble to make cement blocks, or Salman, who cleans sixth-century Byzantine mosaics found in his garden.
This project serves as a visual testimony of life in Gaza before recent events, capturing memories of a world that no longer exists.
Lucien Lung (Paris, France)
He is a Franco-Chinese documentary photographer specializing in conflict zones, mainly in the Middle East (Palestine/Israel, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon) and Asia (Myanmar, Hong Kong).
He works as a freelance photographer for French and international media such as Le Monde, Internazionale, The Guardian, Ming Pao, and Amnesty International. Since 2017, he has been a member of the collective RIVA-Press.
In 2022, he was selected to take part in the national commission Radioscopie de la France, funded by the French Ministry of Culture and supervised by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF). His work Utopias was exhibited at the BNF and is now part of its permanent collection.
The work presented, This was also Gaza, is part of his broader project A State of Palestine, on which he has been working for the past three years.
