My Father. Reflections, n.d. An artist book by Lebanese artist Afaf Zurayk is a deeply personal yet universally resonant exploration of memory, loss, and connection. The book was published on the 10th anniversary of the passing of her father Constantine Zurayk – a prominent historian and intellectual (serving as active president of the American University of Beirut). He played a pivotal role in Arab nationalism and advocated for cultural and political renewal. The book consists of 41 photographs of miniature handmade clay sculptures created by Zurayk. She carved them by relying on her sense of touch, with eyes closed, while recalling the shimmering light of her childhood as expressed in her writings within the book. In her book, Zurayk captures the complexity of a daughter’s relationship with her father.

My Father. Reflections is not a direct biography but an intimate journey into the artist’s evolving perception of her father. As a child, she struggled to grasp his intellect, his subtlety, and his clarity, feeling both drawn to and distanced from him. During her childhood, she was introduced to clay, a material that allowed her to explore expression through touch and form. Clay, with its malleability and responsiveness, became a medium through which she could externalize emotions that words could not capture. Revisiting these emotions as an artist, Zurayk sculpts figurines – some standing alone, others interacting – to serve as metaphors for connection and separation.

Zurayk deliberately places these figures on gray cardboard surface drawings of her sketchbooks that include expressive abstract drawings. The complex body of work evokes both the earthy texture of childhood play and the tangible space of artistic exploration. The photographs show the figures’ cast shadows onto the textured background, adding another dimension to the exploration of time and memory and reinforcing the dialogue between past and present. Through this return to a childhood material and the intentional choice of surface, Zurayk creates a tactile and visual language to connect her personal history with her evolving understanding of her father.

The book’s subdued yet expressive photographic compositions, captured by Noel Nasr, reinforce a sense of quiet reflection. Light and shadow play a central role, mirroring the delicate nature of remembrance to bring out how moments of clarity emerge from darkness, only to fade again. Beyond its personal narrative, My Father. Reflections invites a universal contemplation on the imprints left by those who shape us.

Zurayk envisioned the book as more than a visual narrative; she intended it to be a fully immersive experience. In the text within the artbook, she notes that listening to Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat is an integral part of the viewing process in order to enhance the sensorial experience of the artwork. Through this interplay of drawing, sculpture, photography, and sound, this work offers a meditative exploration of memory, loss, and the lasting imprints of kinship, especially the familial relationship between father and daughter.