ISSUEtribe 09/2019 1
حقوق األجيال القادمة Rights of Future Generations تقييم أدريان لحود Curated by Adrian Lahoud
OPENING WEEK NOVEMBER 9–12, 2019 register
أسبوع االفتتاح 2019 ،9–12 شهر نوفمبر
info@sharjaharchitecture.org
تسجيل
Contents
Issue 09 / 2019
Editor’s note
INDUSTRY
PORTFOLIO
Vantage Point: SAF, Sharjah, UAE. Let’s
Samer Mohdad ............................ 64
The 9th edition of Tribe evolved from a collective interest in contemporary
Be Honest, The Weather Helped: The
By: Sabrina DeTurk
documentary photography. We were keen to explore the areas of hybridization,
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. The
Zied Ben Romdhane .................... 76
where social, cultural and political nuances of a place and its people are framed
Place I Call Home: Touring the Gulf and
By: Flounder Lee
in a window of human experience.
three UK cities. When the Clouds Speak:
Ghada Khunji ............................... 90
Saint-Trophime Cloister, Arles. Inaugural
By: Latifa Al Khalifa
Beirut Image Festival: Lebanon. La Mer
Many of the artists whose work we’ve included in this issue of Tribe use life, untouched, as the content for their work. They do not create the art, they find
Patrie: Dar El-Nimer for Arts and Culture,
PROFILE
Beirut. The Tour: Tintera Gallery, Cairo.
Alfred Tarazi ................................. 102
Portrait of Humanity: Traveling exhibition,
By: Ari Akkermans
worldwide. Above: Aerial Photography
Btihal Remli ................................. 108
images, from cover to cover, is a vibrant and affecting portrayal of humanity,
Exhibition: Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat
By: Sumeja Tulic
and the art of life.
Island ...........................................10 - 13
Deborah Benzaquen ................... 114
it, frame it and record it. There is an incredible degree of aesthetic and stylistic variation, and an impressive array of conceptual dialogue. The collection of
Enjoy and thank you.
By: Chama Tahiri REVIEW
Hind Mezaina ............................... 118
Ithra .......................................... 16
By: Emma Warburton
By: Abeer Mishkhas
Myriam Boulos ............................. 126
Farah Al Qasimi ....................... 22
By: Emma Warburton
By: Christopher Joshua Benton
Randa Mirza ................................. 132
Jalal Bin Thaneya .................... 28
By: Emma Warburton
By: Maha Alsharif For Your Inconsideration ......... 34
NEW MEDIA
By: Nada Al Aradi
Meriem Bennani: ......................... 138
Louvre Abu Dhabi ................... 40
By: Emma Warburton
By: Yvonne McGahren Larissa Sansour ......................... 46
SERIES
By: Janet Bellotto
Rehaf Batniji ................................. 142 Eslam Abd El Salam .................... 148
FEATURE
Yoriyas ......................................... 152
Rum Sublime............................. 52
Ziryab Alghabri ............................ 158
By: Kit Hammonds
Tribe has been supported by: Al Serkal Avenue, Debbie Kanafani, Haitham Alaini, Kaleem Books, Lia Gotsis Paschal, Lulu Al-Sabah, Maysoune Ghobash, Philip Lanier, Rami & Ramzi Tabiat, Rana Sadik and Samer Younis, Sirin Masri,
ESSAY
Sophie Bray, Tashkeel and The Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation.
Ahlam Shibli ............................. 58
Cover Image: Zied Ben Romdhane, (Detail) (2014) Chattessalam, a boy rowing
By: Suzy Sikorski
in a fridge behind the chemical factory. In Partnership with:
f tribephotomag d tribephotomag - www.tribephotonewmedia.com Contact: editorial@ink.com, sales@ink.com Media Partnerships:
Publisher Mubarik Jafery
Assistant Editor Woodman Taylor
Business Development Nanda Collins
Design Channels
Print Consultant Sivadas Menon
Pre Press Rana Veera Kumar
Photo Editor Sueraya Shaheen
Editorial Assistant Emma Warburton
Distribution Maria Añonuevo
Artfair Coordinator Daveeda Shaheen
Production Manager Gopinath.V.C
Associate Editor New Media Janet Bellotto
Industry Support Janet Rady Fine Art Yvonne McGahren
Legal Consultant Fatimah Waseem
Design Assistant Zia Paulachak Jafery Laradona Shaheen
Printing Supervisor Sreejesh Krishnan
Printer Jonson M Vargees Biju Varghese
This catalog is created as a showcase of creative works within the region. Its aim is to create awareness of the arts. Please note that the information in this magazine, including all articles, and photographs, do not make any claims. Any information offered is expressly the opinion of the creator/author of that material. The content created by the authors, creators and works on these pages are subject to copyright law. The reproduction, editing, distribution and any kind of exploitation outside the limits of copyright require the written consent of the respective author or creator. 7.05.16.9.3.4.5683.968
Writers Abeer Mishkhas is a Saudi journalist based in
film, and installation art in Dubai. Past work has
Many of the same topics and media are also part of
England. She writes for Asharq Al-Awsat on cultural
been made in collaboration with Alserkal Avenue,
his curatorial practice. His sabbatical work deals with
topics. She has interviewed prominent creators and
Sikka Art Fair, and Dubai Design District. He is also
a quotidian future, the type of future most of us will
curators, and covered art fairs across the world.
the creative director of Dubai-based record label
experience. www.flounderlee.com
Among her interviewees are Ahmad Mater; Sebastião
Bedouin Records and the founder of the art collective
f photoflounder
Salgado, the celebrated Brazilian photographer;
BROWNBLACK. f maxfirepower Janet Bellotto is an artist and educator from
Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; Jussi Pylkkänen, the global
Elisa Routa, France born and raised, has been
Toronto, who splits her time teaching in Dubai as
president of Christie’s auction house and Haifaa
covering street life, surfing, travel, the outdoors and
Professor, Visual Arts at the College of Arts and
Al-Mansour, the Saudi filmmaker.
arts for a variety of publications since 2007. Over the
Creative Enterprises at Zayed University, Dubai. She
years, Elisa has made a point of putting the human
engages projects that promote cultural exchange
Arie Amaya-Akkermans is a writer and art critic
aspect back at the heart of her art, celebrating the
through curating and writing, with a current focus on
based in Istanbul. His work has appeared in Canvas,
power of storytelling with guts and ethics. Prior to
photography and new media art in the MENA region,
Hyperallergic, San Francisco Arts Quarterly, Art Asia
creating Relief Agency, a young multi-disciplinary
and was Artistic Director for the 20th International
Pacific, Harper’s Bazar Art Arabia, among others,
creative agency, she worked as a community reporter
Symposium on Electronic Art. Sculpture / Installation
including several exhibition catalogues and artist
for Instagram in France, editor-in chief of Panthalassa
is central to her practice that also uses and expands
monographs in the Middle East region. Previously
journal as well as Swenson Magazine. She studied
with the mediums of photography, video, sound
he was a guest editor of Arte East (2015), moderator
at the London School of Journalism and currently
and performance. Her work has been exhibited in
in the talks programme of Art Basel (2015-2016),
lives in Biarritz, France. With a background in print
a variety of solo, group and collective exhibitions
expert fellow at IASPIS, Stockholm (2016), speaker
and digital media, Elisa works today as a writer for
internationally, as well as in international art fairs,
on Orientalism at the Moscow Museum of Modern
Conde Nast International (@Vogue), committed to
including Beijing, Istanbul, New York, Mexico, Toronto
Art (2017), jury of the young artist platform BASE,
featuring emerging talent.
and Venice. www.janetbellotto.com f janetbellotto
Berlin (2019). He is currently working on a dissertation
Emma Warburton is an independent arts writer and
Kit Hammonds is Curator of the Museo Jumex in
in archaeology and classics.
emerging curator currently based in Toronto, Ontario.
Mexico City, having relocated to from Taiwan in 2017.
Istanbul (2018) and a guest speaker at IFA Gallery,
She holds a BA in Painting and Drawing and an MA in
His projects to date include Learning to Read with
Chama Tahiri, based between Paris and Casablanca,
Curating Contemporary Art. She recently completed
John Baldessari (2017) and Scripted Reality: The Life
her hometown, is an artistic director and cultural
a Curatorial Internship at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
and Art of Television (2018) as well as commissioning
journalist. Aside from being co-founder of Lioumness,
Today, she works as the Editorial Assistant for Tribe
site-specific works by Micheal Smith and Fritz Haeg
the first creative studio and cultural webzine in
magazine. Emma regularly writes for a number of
& Nils Norman. Formerly, Hammonds was a curator,
Morocco, she writes for other publications, produces
print and online based art publications, and maintains
art writer and academic in the UK and Taiwan, having
events, promotes artists and creates content to
an informal but active art practise based in painting,
realized projects in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
reshape the narratives around African and Arab
drawing and ephemeral sculpture. f hellohellomissy
He was part of the curatorial teams for The Invisible
cultures. Amongst her recent projects are the writing
Hand: The Second CAFAM Biennial, Beijing (2014);
and artistic direction of the feature documentary Casa
Flounder Lee is an artist/curator/educator currently
and the Goethe Institut’s international project Europe
jusqu’à là mer, the promotion of Bachar Mar-Khalifé’s
on sabbatical doing artist and curatorial residencies
to the Power of N (2011-2014).
latest album, and the opening strategy for The Grand
around the world. He received his BFA from the
Theatre of Rabat, designed by the late Iraqi architect
University of Florida and his MFA from California
Latifa Al Khalifa is a curator and arts manager
Zaha Hadid. In her spare time, Chama volunteers in
State University Long Beach—both in studio art
who found her passion for Arab contemporary art
the education sector, attends conferences, and saves
and photography. For the last decade, several
while studying for her MA in Cultural and Creative
orphaned kittens. instagram and twitter handle: f
overlapping themes have run throughout his
Industries at King’s College London. In 2013, in
chama_tahiri
work: postcolonialism, mapping, science, and
partnership with Edge of Arabia and the Ministry
environmental change. He uses various media such
of Culture in Bahrain, Al Khalifa curated In the
Christopher Benton is an American writer and
as photo, video, performance, sound, and installation
Open, a group exhibition at the Mayor of London
conceptual artist working across photography,
to create work that touches on important topics.
Shubbak Festival. The exhibition marked the first time
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a Bahraini contemporary art group had participated in
Middle East and United States. Her artwork has been
UAE at Fordham University in New York. She was
an art event in London. In 2016, she launched Too Far
exhibited in many national exhibitions including at
a Fulbright Scholar in the UAE during 2016-2017,
Company, an art platform that focuses on promoting
the Bahrain Female Artist Annual Exhibition, Albareh
furthering her thesis by documenting pioneer Emirati
artists and visual art from the MENA region in the
Contemporary, AlRiwaq Art Space, and Alwan 338
artists in their studios.
global art market as well as offering skills-based art education programmes in Bahrain.
Her exhibition reviews and interviews have been Dr. Sabrina DeTurk is an art historian, curator, writer
published in The National, Tribe, Harper’s Bazaar
and associate professor in the College of Arts and
Art Arabia and ArtAsiaPacific. Her personal blog
Maha Alsharif is a writer and emerging critic. She
Creative Enterprises at Zayed University in Dubai. Her
Mid East Art (mideastart.com) features her video
recently founded theartcricket.com, an independent
new book is Street Art in the Middle East, published
and text interviews and published articles with artists
blog that provides critical writing on contemporary
by I.B. Tauris.
from the region. She also is a contributor to Oxford
visual culture. Prior, she worked with art galleries,
University Press’ Benezit Dictionary of Artists, of which
institutions, and artists in the UAE, Palestine and UK.
Sumeja Tulic is a Libyan-born Bosnian writer and
she has contributed over 20 Arab and Iranian artist
Alsharif obtained her BA in Art, Design, and Media
photographer. Her work is concerned with conflict,
biographies in their artist encyclopedia. Currently,
from Richmond University in London. Having an
estrangement, belonging, and art. She is currently
Suzy is a Junior Specialist in Christie’s Dubai in their
interest in art management, she went on to complete
working on a series of essays, at times verging on
Post War and Contemporary Art department. She
a MA in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art where
fiction, about hiding in plain sight as concept, gesture,
is continuing to document the pioneer artists in
she focused her research on cultural policy in the Arab
image, and an allegory that enables staying visible
the UAE while complementing this with a digital
World. f mahasharif
in a setting that masks presence. Tulic’s excavation
photography practice as she captures older areas in
of the hidden in plain sight in the landscape of art,
the Gulf. Ultimately, she hopes to record the histories
Nada Al Aradi is a Bahraini artist and curator. She
history, politics, and poetry is an experiment aimed
of the pioneer generations throughout the Gulf in the
received her MFA in Curatorial Practice in 2016 from
at arriving at an interpretational vessel that enables
upcoming year. Play her art trivia in her fun stories on
Maryland Institute College of Art, and her BFA in
attribution of social justice and reparations related
her Instagram f mideastart
Interior Design from New York Institute of Technology
meanings to works of art and other instances of life.
in 2009. She creates connections between art and
f sumejaa / www.sumejatulic.com
audiences through narratives, and in 2012 she
Yvonne McGahren has an MA in Creative Writing and
over ten years’ experience of editing and writing for
cofounded a socially responsive group, Ulafa’a . Her
Suzy Sikorski has been specializing in art history of
publications. Now a freelance features writer based in
exhibitions have been shown in non-profit galleries,
the Gulf region for over three years, completing her
Dubai, she is currently editing and contributing articles
federal museums, and grassroots organizations in the
thesis on three generations of artists history in the
to local magazines. She is writing a crime-fiction novel.
INDUSTRY
Vantage Point: SAF, Sharjah, UAE Vantage Point Sharjah 7 (VPS7) was the seventh iteration of Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual photography initiative. This year, for the first time, the open call is extended to international applicants. This initiative aims to foster photographers’ creative development, and encourage engagement with the wider cultural community. Over 200 applicants with a variety of professional backgrounds, skill sets and interests, responded to VPS7 open call. The exhibition features the work of 36 photographers from over 20 countries. The selected photographs offer viewers a unique perspective on various subjects by using different styles, such as conceptual photography, street photography, land and cityscapes and portraiture. The images demonstrate a wide range of techniques in both digital and 35mm photography, such as montage, collage, archival reconstruction, infrared and light painting. The foundation announced its first open call in 2013, with a theme of ‘Life and Landscapes of Sharjah.’ Themes of other Vantage Point exhibitions have included ‘Self-Portraiture’, ‘Performance’ and ‘Architecture and Urban Landscape.’ Detail from Bahar Yürükoğlu (2016-2018) Courtesy of the artist
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INDUSTRY
Walid Raad, Let’s be honest, the weather helped 1998 (2006) Pigmented inkjet print, 46,8 x 72,4 cm. Courtesy the artist & Sfeir-Semler Gallery Hamburg / Beirut Walid Raad, Sweet talk commissions (Beirut 1994) (2018) video still. Courtesy the artist & Sfeir-Semler Gallery Hamburg / Beirut Walid Raad, Sweet talk commissions (Beirut 1994) (2018) video still. Courtesy the artist & Sfeir-Semler Gallery Hamburg / Beirut
On view in each room are often entirely new combinations of series from Raad’s three major longterm projects: The Atlas Group, Sweet Talk Commissions, and Scratching on things I could disavow. For The Atlas Group (1989-2004), Raad created stories and documents about the Lebanese wars of the past few decades. Borrowing from the genres of literary fiction and conceptual photography, Raad imagines the records, characters and events that could have existed in times of war.
Let’s Be Honest, The Weather Helped: The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Sweet Talk Commissions Beirut (1987–ongoing) is composed of various photo assignments. Beginning in the late 1980s, Raad starting commissioning himself to document Beirut’s changing urban landscape. He concentrated on the neighbourhoods on the margins of the urban battlegrounds. This project continued
In seven galleries the Lebanese-American artist Walid Raad presents his
in the ‘post-war’ as a new city centre emerged. Raad’s third project, Scratching
philosophical, politically charged and often witty vision of the complexities of
on things I could disavow (2007–ongoing), engages with how violence affects
the Lebanese Civil War and developments in contemporary art in the Middle East.
tradition and art in material and non-material ways.
The Place I Call Home: Touring the Gulf and three UK cities Drawing on the bustling and ever-changing lifestyles of millennials living in the Gulf and the UK, The Place I Call Home depicts the transition into a home abroad, sparking interaction between the two cultures and exploring ideas of belonging and foreignness. Presented by The British Council and curated by Director of UK-based Ffotogallery, David Drake, the exhibition showcases the ‘power’ of photography as an accessible medium and creative form of expression with the selected photographic works of 12 budding artists, each of whom has lived in the Gulf and the UK. With a common theme of ’home,’ the featured works explore various aspects of culture, heritage and identity, challenging prevailing stereotypes. Mohammed Alkouh. Qasr Al Salam. Courtesy of the artist
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INDUSTRY
When the Clouds Speak: Saint-Trophime Cloister, Arles Set within an ancient cathedral, Emeric Lhuisset’s When the Clouds Speak presents the photographer’s coverage of the century-old conflict in the Middle East. Specifically, it is a multisensory installation that explores the disappearance of Kurdish culture in Turkey, and puts an opportunity for protest in the hands of the viewer. Describing his own work as ‘counter-journalism,’ Lhuisset (winner of the BMW residency), seeks to break the taboo of speed and urgency central to photojournalism, aiming to start a dialogue with the viewer through a considered and deliberate approach to news. Emeric Lhuisset, When the Clouds Speak, Musa Dagh, Turkey (2018-2019)
Inaugural Beirut Image Festival: Lebanon
Saeed Dhahi, Sameh Rahmi at Beirut Image Festival (2019)
Zakira – the Image Festival Association, in collaboration with Dar al Mussawir
photographs by 122 photographers from 25 countries, selected from a pool
and the Union of Arab Photographers, is launching the first Beirut Image
of over 3,800 images. There’s a large regional component, with more than
Festival taking place during the month of September 2019. The first of its
half the participants coming from Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Iraq. The
kind in Lebanon and a pioneering experience in the Arab World, the Beirut
Festival includes both indoor and outdoor exhibitions and activities that are
Image Festival will be an annual one-month regional photography fair held
open to the public, designed to foster cultural interaction and artistic dialogue
in Beirut and other major Lebanese cities and towns. The festival boasts 600
across Lebanon.
La Mer Patrie: Dar El-Nimer for Arts and Culture, Beirut La Mer Patrie, or ‘The Motherland,’ is a joint exhibition of photographers Fouad Elkoury and Jeremy Peacock. Around fifty photographs and an installation together question the notion of return by revisiting a significant era of the Palestinian cause - Beirut in the early 1980s. Moreover, the choice of exhibited photographs intends to examine the stereotypical image of Palestine, and the role of Palestinians in creating such an image. Fouad Elkoury, Exile, Mediterranean Sea (1982) Courtesy of the artist
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INDUSTRY
Barry Iverson, Antikhana Street, from the series The Tour (2014) Archival pigment print. Printed with permission of Tintera Photographic Art Consultancy. Barry Iverson, A Museum Visit 2005/1920s/ Star, from the series The Tour (2014) Archival pigment print. Printed with permission of Tintera Photographic Art Consultancy.
The Tour: Tintera Gallery, Cairo A solo presentation of Barry Iverson’s prints marks the official opening of Tintera’s Zamalek gallery. The exhibition showcases more than thirty-five black and white archival pigment prints and a selection of hand coloured photographs. An oversized, handmade photographic album, in the tradition of the photographic tomes of
present, inhabitants and spaces, locals and visitors. Iverson’s work documents the fantastical nature of what
the 19th century, is displayed alongside original
were once real figures living in real times against the backdrop of enduring historical spaces that he encounters.
early travel and architectural photographs of Egypt. With Egypt and the Levant as magnetic
The exhibition invites us to consider Iverson’s works not as nostalgic imagery of historical ruins or remnants of
focal points for Iverson, the series creates a quiet
the past, but as documents of our own life history that we presently inhabit in the form of dreams, fantasies,
yet unsettling relationship between past and
memories and souvenirs.
Giulia Frigieri, Surfing Iran, Iran. Courtesy of the artist
Peter Jay, Dubai from the exhibition ABOVE: Aerial Photography Exhibition. Courtesy of Manarat Al Saadiyat
Portrait of Humanity: Traveling exhibition, worldwide
Above: Aerial Photography Exhibition: Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island
Portrait of Humanity is a new global initiative by 1854 Media,
ABOVE: Aerial Photography exhibition was organised by the Photography studio at Manarat Al
publisher of the British Journal of Photography. Its aim is to
Saadiyat, showcases the Emirates from the skies, and offers fascinating perspectives of the landscape
showcase portraits of unity, community and individuality.
from above. The aerial photography exhibition is the first in Abu Dhabi, and features a mix of prominent
Two hundred shortlisted photographs were published in the
local, regional and international artists and photographers, including American photographer Martin
Portrait of Humanity book and 50 winning images will be
Sanchez, and the Dubai based photographer Beno Saradzic. The images are displayed at floor level on
exhibited at various locations across the world to renowned
light boxes facing the ceiling, with others hung high on the wall. The exhibition is complimented with a
museums, galleries and international photography festivals.
series of workshops and master classes offered to professional photographers, artists and enthusiasts.
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REVIEW Images - Courtesy of Ithra. Writer - Abeer Mishkhas, journalist.
Ithra: Zamakan Eleven artists contemplate space and time through geometry, poetry and desert sounds Zamakan is an unusual expression, combining the
Here we see Malluh doing what she does best,
two Arabic words for time (zaman) and space (makan).
arranging an installation to draw the viewer in and
Ithra invited 11 contemporary Saudi artists to construct
make them feel part of the work. She contemplates the
artwork portraying their perspectives on the concepts
power of oil and its effect on every aspect of Saudi life.
of space and time. Pestana sees Oil Candies as a “homage to the According to Candida Pestana, the exhibition’s
Kingdom and the changes brought by oil.” She
curator, “the artists were invited to reflect on these
discerns yet more meaning in the sheer size of the
concepts from both a physical and a philosophical
installation; some 74 oil barrels displayed across a 10
point of view, to explore distinctive spaces and
X 4 meters wall to represent “the enormous impact
dimensions in different times.”
of oil on the country,” said Pestana, adding that the crushed barrels, which resemble discarded candy
The results were individual interpretations of
wrappers, represent “the sugar rush you get from
‘Zamakan,’ drawing upon rich cultural heritage
candy,” or in this case, the “oil rush.” It has been a
as a unifying element. The exhibition showcases
burst of energy infused into the country, but what
the artists’ different art forms as sculpture, video,
happens when the rush is over?
photography and installations.
The artists talk about their space and their time. It’s their individual viewpoint, and they are addressing this particular community In this artwork, the artist uses agate stone, which is local to Saudi Arabia, to mark traces on a mould. Pestana
In The Sound of the Desert, Abdullah Al-Othman
explains that “each stone is different and each trace
Contrary to the vastness of the ‘Zamakan’ theme,
portrays himself within the context of the vast,
is different. What he is talking about is ecological
the exhibition draws from a specific space and time.
arid expanses of the country to reflect on the
communities. From a wider perspective, all stones
It is made by Saudi and Saudi based artists and
theme of the exhibition. His video performance
look the same, but when you get closer, you will be
addresses a Saudi audience. “The artists talk about
shows him in the middle of the desert, surrounded
astounded at how singular and unique each stone is.”
their space and their time. It’s their individual
by microphones, where the artist recorded a
Pestana sees in The Sailing Stone, the artist’s intent
viewpoint, and they are addressing their community.
performance while listening to the sounds around
in “exploring how individuality can be perceived in
We wanted to do an exhibition with concepts that
him at different times and from five different
different ways; it just depends on your perspective.”
are known to everyone, yet everyone has a different
angles. It is that sound change and variation that
notion about them,” said Pestana.
Al-Othman wants the viewer to perceive.
One of the works that resonates most strongly is a
The desert also inspired Ayman Zedani in his work
acquired and honed his skills of traditional woodcutting,
massive installation by Maha Malluh, entitled Oil
The Sailing Stone, which depicts a Saudi ecological
and in this exhibition, he puts his learning to good use
Candies, consisting of crushed oil barrels, each
journey through the natural phenomenon of rocks
by illustrating the power of geometrical shapes. Flow
brightly coloured and attached in rows to the wall. It’s
inscribing long tracks on the valley floor without
#2 arranges transparent PVC tubes in a pattern that
a reflection on the effects oil has had on Saudi Arabia.
human or animal intervention.
reflects the geometry of the space.
Ahmad Angawi works with geometry. While studying at the Prince’s School for Traditional Arts in London, he
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Gallery View: Aziz Jamal Play, (2019) Video loop
Gallery View: (left): Maha Malluh Oil Candies (2019) Variable dimensions Center: Dana Awartani Love is my Law, Love is my Faith (2016) Embroidery on silk, 200 x 200 cm
Gallery View: Omar Abduljawad Thuluth (2018) Sandstone, painted steel tube, paint on laser etched acrylic and programmable LED strips, 333.6 x 333.6 x 333.3 cm
Dana Awartani delves into the world of words of interpreting eight love poems by Ibn Arabi, a 12th-century mystic, poet and philosopher whose verses of divine love were inspired by his visit to Makkah and encapsulated his feelings when standing in front of the Kaaba. Awartani elucidates Ibn Arabi’s compounded sense of fear and love that filled him as he looked at that sacred cube, standing as an intermediary between the human and the divine. Awartani’s interpretation of the poems is both mystical and thought-provoking. She went to India to seek out traditional embroiderers. Her screens were handmade there, with patterns that reflect Awartani’s love of geometrical shapes and combinations. The screens are hung in rows to form a perfect cube and, by standing in front of them, the viewer is drawn into a meditative state, a search for their inner spirit. Each of the 11 works tries, in its own way, to construe the space and time factors through personal viewpoints. Some manage to mesmerise the viewer and connect with them through the visual beauty of composition and material. Others take their viewer on an abstract journey, leaving them to find their own way through intricate and symbolic messages. Zamakan is showing until October 26 at King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
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Moath Alofi, I am One (2019) Digital print on Photo Rag, 200 x 140 cm The Family (2019) Digital print on Photo Rag, 200 cm x 140 cm The Scene (2019) Digital print on Photo Rag, 200 cm x 130 cm
Aziz Jamal Play, (2019) Video loop
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Abdullah Al-Othman, Sound of the Desert, (2018) Sound and video installation, 8:20 minutes
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REVIEW Images - Courtesy of Jameel Arts Centre. Writer - Christopher Joshua Benton, artist, creative director and journalist.
Jameel Arts Centre: Farah Al Qasimi Entering the Interzone These days the virtual and the real appear to be
what appears to be an old family photo book. ‘I
collapsing into each other. Not only are we easily
think of obfuscation as protection,’ Al Qasimi said
confused by what is real or fake, but sometimes
in an interview with Tribe. “I try to seek meaning in
the artificial appears even more real. It’s at this
gesture, or movement, or social dynamic rather than
intersection where one finds the complex work
in facial expression or visibility.”
of Farah Al Qasimi, whose excellent survey for Jameel Arts Centre brings the Abu Dhabi-raised,
Elsewhere in the show, we see an American soldier
Yale-educated, New York City based photographer
being consoled or pulled away while taking a
back to the Emirates.
phone call. While in Gaith at Home we see a Khaleeji man eyes-closed in repose atop crisp bed
Interestingly Dragon Mart, Dubai’s kaleidoscopically
linens. Al Qasimi, always the master colour stylist,
kitsch emporium of everything, and the largest
bathes the scene in shadow and dims the man in
Chinese market outside of China, is the subject of
white, just a few hints of skin to guide your eye.
about a third of the works in the show. Originally
The subject’s gesture is tentative and suspended
commissioned as part of Art Dubai’s Global Art
between frames: is he about to tie his ghutra? Is he
Forum, these deadpan images consolidate many of
practicing kundalini finger meditation? The image,
Al Qasimi’s leitmotifs—an interest in the hyperreal,
of course, is posed—but it feels real, candid. Images
the sci-fi artifice of the Gulf, and perceptions of
like these complicate and subvert the expectation
class and taste (and its signifiers)—and cranks them
of power through striking moments of intimacy and
Installation view of Artist’s Rooms
up to larger-than-life proportions. My favourite is
fragility. “The Emirates is a society that upholds
Photo courtesy of Jameel Arts Centre
Dragon Mart LED Display, which (incredulously!)
social boundaries and formalities, particularly across
contemporises Dutch still-life and folds it into a
genders” Al Qasimi told us. “I’m trying to break
Technicolor window display, brim-full of Shenzhen-
down some of these boundaries by entering spaces
via-Yiwu motorized tchotchkes, plastic flowers and
you don’t normally see, hinting at personal lives and
art. And yet, regardless of the photographic or
LED strips.
informal moments.”
artistic tradition, the result is unmistakably Farah Al Qasimi.
Quickly you will notice many of the figures in these
Across these 19 images, Al Qasimi skillfully presents
photographs are implied, camouflaged, obscured,
various modes of photo-making, from appropriating
Stare into the images long enough and you might
or silhouetted—but never fully seen. This ambiguity
the glossy seductive aesthetics of commercial fashion
fall into them. Al Qasimi’s brand of Gulf Futurism is
creates a sense of the uncanny, inviting the viewer
photography in M Napping on Carpet, to flâneur-
less ironic than her contemporaries, but probably
to interrogate the mise en scène for clues of
mode street photography in her Dragon Mart series.
more complex—offering up a sentimental, nostalgic,
narratives, place and context. In one image a man
Her trademark wall wraps, which often background
and critical window that is world-building for a space
pulls a disappearing act in a billow of smoke; while
other framed photos as wallpaper would, add a
identical to the Emirates but weirder, parallel to
in another, two males are blacked out by time in
trompe l’oeil tableau, while also signaling installation
what we see everyday, yet altogether more fantastic.
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M Napping on Carpet (2016) Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line gallery. Photo courtesy of Jameel Arts Centre
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Curtain Shop (2019) Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line gallery. Photo courtesy of Jameel Arts Centre
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Living Room Vape (2016) Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line gallery. Photo courtesy of Jameel Arts Centre
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Dragon Mart LED Display (2018) Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line gallery. Photo courtesy of Jameel Arts Centre
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REVIEW Images - Courtesy of the artist and Tashkeel. Writer - Maha Alsharif, writer and critic.
Jalal Bin Thaneya: Beyond the Fence Exploring the collateral value of waste Beyond the Fence, a photography exhibition by
majority of his time trying to get permission to enter.
Jalal Bin Thaneya, explores the collateral value of
With his creativity distracted and his time limited,
industrial products and waste. The photographs
Bin Thaneya experienced unforeseen technical and
of raw industrial structures are nearly to scale, and
conceptual challenges.
document the workings of industrial facilities. They also speak about the artist’s experience having gone
To achieve the aesthetic quality he envisioned,
through a lengthy and unconventional security
timing was a critical element. Bin Thaneya says, “I
process to gain access into these facilities. The
don’t take pictures all year round, there’s a certain
final series of images not only captures what these
time of the year during which I make images,” so
facilities are and how they operate, but also brings
unanticipated delays risked losing the apt natural
attention to less obvious yet important ways they
light he required. While he initially used 4 x 5 film,
contribute to modern living.
which takes about two weeks to develop between Dubai, Berlin and New York, he had to find a faster
Taking stylistic inspiration from photographers
alternative in digital cameras. He then was able to
like Margret Bourke-White, Paul Strand, Edward
achieve comparable quality using a medium format
Burtynsky and Charles Schieler, Bin Thaneya presents
Hasselblad camera.
industrial environments in their raw states, using straightforward techniques that rely on natural light
On the conceptual level, the artist’s experience to
to compliment the subjects and surroundings. He
obtain entry permits made him aware of the impact
presents in a direct and objective way the very
these facilities have that transcends the industrial
things that hide in plain sight, but that have a strong
and economic aspects. A threat to them means a
position and impact within society.
threat on the country’s security, stability, political and economic foundations, environment and public
At times the pictures are in carefully polished frames.
health, and ultimately potential growth.
For the photos, the artist directs his lens to rough arcane locations that make many modern activities,
Although the images of steel structures, tire piles,
like easy transportation, possible. Considering how
and tired engines in the series appear cold and
the oil and gas industries are at the core of many
disconnected from the human experience, the
others, the artist captures details of oil refineries and
viewer identifies with the artist’s vantage point and
scrapyards where raw materials and industrial waste
presence. In addition to the images, the viewer
are processed. The images present these locations
relates to Thaneya’s process and experience of
in unglamorous stages of their life cycles. However
physically reaching beyond the fence, which in this
due to safety and security regulations, his project
case functions also as a performative medium that
was obstructed and he was forced to spend the
opens a dialogue on much broader subjects.
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Rims 01 (2018) 133 x 166 cm
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Axel Wall 1 (2018) 133 x 166 cm
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Gears 01 (2018) 133 x 166 cm
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Tire Wall 02 (2018) 133 x 166 cm
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Drive Shafts 01 (2018) 126 x 166 cm
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REVIEW Images - Courtesy of the artists. Writer - Nada Al Aradi, artist and curator.
For Your Inconsideration Portraying the passage of time For the first time at Bait Al Salmaniya, and for
Hanan Hassan Al Khalifa’s Ageing Aphrodites may
most of the region, an intensely conceptual and
be equally confusing: playing with the collision of
strictly typological photographic exhibition was
aesthetics and the paradox of beauty and decay.
presented. Although typological photography
By photographing posters of beautiful women,
has spread globally, and more recently seeped
she captures the effect of the flow of time on the
into Bahrain, this is one of the first exhibitions
subject, rather than a frozen moment in time. In
dedicated solely to this style. For a public
doing so, she comments on the human condition:
accustomed to street, landscape and journalistic
a photograph of a deteriorating photograph.
photography, this exhibition is likely to turn
Not only does this series of images represent a
many heads, as it separates itself from the pack
continuing line of time and decline it also acts
with its unusual content and approach.
as a mirror: allowing the viewer to question their own mortality and social depictions of female
At photography’s inception, it was expensive and
beauty as timeless and enduring.
timely, and available to the few and privileged– that meant only the decidedly important could
Bader Al Balawi’s kiosks are framed by the empty
be the subject of a picture. In today’s modern
sky and horizon. Similar in nature to Algosaibi’s
world, even though cameras are available to
abandoned cars, these kiosks are documented
the masses, that concept remains. This brings
in a manner that creates the impression that the
us to our four photographers, capturing the
images are identical at first, until the details of
discarded and deteriorating types; ascending
each place reveal themselves: the lights, people,
them to a stage.
and cars re dotted across the landscape. His final image is the bare seafront that serves as a
At first glance, most of these works may appear
nod to the kiosks ephemeral nature and which
meaningless, causing the audience to question
are fleeting in the face of persistent large-scale
why anyone would photograph and exhibit
urban developments.
wrecked cars, as Faris Algosaibi has. Why
At photography’s inception, it was expensive and timely, and available to the few and privileged – that meant only the decidedly important could be the subject of a picture What is most impressive about this collection of four artists is their derivation from the expected.
in this manner? Each image is shot at nearly
Asma Murad’s structures reach far beyond
Rather than being concerned with beautiful or
identical angles, at night, and with a front-facing
the image she presents. In showing decrepit
precious objects, they shine light on overlooked
view. Algosaibi has unified the subject into a
architecture and silent abandoned homes, she
and unwanted elements of the region’s ever-
single frame; a mugshot of abandoned cars. He
invites that audience to view these places as
changing landscape and ask what these objects
removes external influences exposing only the
stages. A timeline of events sit, at the core of
represent in today’s modern world. In moving
uniqueness of each individual car. He documents
these images, and we are asked to contemplate
beyond photography’s typical purpose of
their state, and acknowledges their existence,
the human history that unfolded and took place
capturing a single moment in time, they are also
before they are removed from the scene.
at these locations.
able to portray the passage of time itself.
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Asma J. Murad from the series Traces “These photographs represent the remains of buildings that have been demolished to give way to new construction. These traces, at some point, provided shelter and security to those inhabiting them before they decided to relocate. They have witnessed many stories (birth of new children, university graduations, marriages of elderly couples, the departure of elders, and ending of relationships of couples that were once madly in love) and remain keepers of deep secrets. These traces stand now in silence before they disappear indefinitely. Through these photographs, I invite the viewer to contemplate what it was like to live in these abandoned places when they were once inhabited.�
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Bader Al Balawi, Balilah Khushks (2014) 12 photos (typology) 50 x 33 cm This experimental photojournalistic work emerged from the artist’s observation, and appreciation for the forms of the kiosks and their alignment stretched out across the beach, on his daily commute. There are two transitional states in this collection. The first is the relationship and intercommunication between each of the images to one another, and the different activities that occurred on the same space. The second is the disappearance of these kiosks, which were eventually removed by the municipality to be replaced by modern and fashionable food trucks.
Faris Algosaibi Abandoned (2017-2018) Print on photo rag, 370 x 130 cm “It is hard to think of anything less valuable or desirable than an abandoned old car. Or worse still, a wrecked abandoned car. A picture of such a car is certainly worth even less. However, if you take enough pictures, the cars take on personalities. They can be anthropomorphised, become sculptures, or tell a [tragic] story. These images were selected from a series comprising 300 images.�
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Hanan Hassan Al Khalifa, Clockwise: Front Looking, Left Side Showing, Second Left and Touching Herself From the series Ageing Aphrodites (2017) 40.6 x 50.8 cm Six authentic images on the wall, left for a very long time, welcoming women to enter a beauty salon to change their appearances to be like Aphrodite. However, nothing lasts as time is fleeting and impermanent. These places portray beautiful images of white-skinned movie starts, and lure women into a single construct of beauty, void of individuality. The posters kept outside shrank and lost their colours, they became damaged from the sun, rain, wind, dust, and other environmental elements. Indeed, nothing lasts forever.
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REVIEW Images - Courtesy of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Writer - Yvonne McGahren, creative writer.
Louvre Abu Dhabi: An Early Album of the World Connections between civilisations In the current day it’s hard to imagine a world without
Lima, Peru in 1852 had lost none of its lustre. There is
photographs and places without cameras. The Louvre
a salt paper print by the Anglo German photographer
Abu Dhabi’s first photography exhibition takes us back
Ernest Benecke of a dead crocodile on a boat on the
in time to the pioneering steps of photography and
Nile, Egypt. Despite this startling image, the view of
how it has influenced civilisation.
the sea behind the boat which was barely perceptible, looks like an ancient mist from a by-gone era.
Photographs 1842 – 1896: An Early Album of the World (April 25 – July 13, 2019) is a captivating walk through
The print of The Maharani of Nepal and her ladies in
more than 250 of some of the first images from the
waiting, Nepal 1885-1894 was the stand-out print. It’s
Middle East, Africa, Asia, India and the Americas.
a scene of opulence, the Maharani sits, encircled by the ample material of her dress and ten women stand
The Director Manuel Rabaté stands under the vast
behind her with their unyielding facial expressions. This
dome of interconnected geometric shapes that
is an albumen print which was the first commercially
blankets the Louvre Abu Dhabi. “Photography is a
exploitable method using albumen found in egg whites
visual language; it gives us a way of being universal
to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper.
to visitors.”
perhaps even resulting in the desire to either go to these places to take more images themselves. We see
There is an enchanting street scene in Canton, China,
the way its popularity started to spread as photographic
There are works by prominent international
1870-1890, with its overhanging signs crowding
studios started to open up across the globe, catering
photographers as well as travellers and sailors. It is
an alleyway by leading 19th-century Chinese
to public demand, whether for family portraits, royal
evident how much time was taken in choosing the
photographer Lai Fong. An aristotype print, which
photographers or even to satisfy the needs of the court,
images. The exhibition’s curator Christine Barthe,
was the first industrial paper production process that
the list goes on. “Creativity is universal,” Rabaté says
Head of Photographic Collections Heritage Unit, at
was ready to use. And Barthe’s favourite print? The
as he pauses to view an illuminated map showing the
the Musée du quai Branly-Jaques Chirac said, ‘It was
serene face of a young woman, Ethiopia, 1885.
timeline of the photograph as it increased around the
important to give the public a beautifully rich print
world. “The technical process can be universally shared.
but we also wanted to find out when and how the
Aside from the beautiful prints, what stood out was
local people did this? It opened up a lot of research.’
the monumental influence that photography has had
This had a huge impact on the world of connection.”
on the world in terms of connection, image-making
This is a fascinating exhibition that gives visitors a rare
Each picture is striking, transporting you back in
techniques, creativity and travel. Local people may
chance to view the burgeoning impact photography
time and across the globe. It’s not just the variety of
well have been taught techniques by travellers passing
had in its early years. Now in the present day, where
images that impress but also the different photographic
through. Many of these photographs would be taken
we are confronted with a continuous feed of imagery,
techniques used. For example, a daguerreotype
by wealthy tourists or persons on diplomatic missions or
it’s refreshing to think about the impact of a single
photograph (this was the first publicly available
archaeological and scientific expeditions. These images
historical image, a moment in time, influential to those
photographic process) of a smartly dressed couple from
would give an impression to those in far off lands,
who have viewed it then and now.
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Seeing Things 1, 2 and 10. Photos by Ismail Noor for the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
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Portrait of a Young Woman, Ethiopia, September 1885 – November 1888. Jules Borelli (1852–1941) Albumen print. Paris, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Photo credit: © musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Dist. RMN – Grand Palais / image musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
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Clockwise: Native of Urcos. © Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Dist. RMN – Grand Palais image Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
A Street, Canton, China, 1870 – 1890 Lai Fong (c. 1839 – 1890) Aristotype print Paris, musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Photo credit: © Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Dist. RMN – Grand Palais / image musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Portrait of Sir Pratab Singh, Maharajah of Orchla with his entourage, India, 1882 Lala Deen Dayal (1844 – 1905) Albumen print, Paris, Musée National des Arts Asiatiques – Guimet Photo credit: © MNAAG, Paris, Dist. RMN – Grand Palais / image Musée Guimet
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The Maharani of Nepal and her Ladies in Waiting. Nepal. 1885 – 1894 Johnston & Hoffmann (Active 1880 – 1950) Albumen print Paris, musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Photo credit: © musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Dist. RMN – Grand Palais / image musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Dead crocodile on a boat on the Nile, Egypt, 1852 Ernest Benecke (1817 - 1894) Salt paper print. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Manuscripts Department. Émile Prisse d’Avennes Egyptian Collection. Photo credit: © Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
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Clockwise: Portrait of a couple. Lima. 1852 -1856 Benjamin Franklin Pease (1822 - 1888) Daguerreotype. Stamped Pease bottom left of the mount. Retratista bottom right. Paris, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Emir Abd el-Kader (aged 57), born in Maskara (Province of Oran, Algeria), Paris, 1865 Jacques Philippe Potteau (1807 – 1876) Albumen print. Paris, musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
View of the Holy Shrine and the City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 1881 Muhammad Sadiq Bey (1822 – 1902) Photographic print. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Rare Books Reserve Photo credit: © Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
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REVIEW Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Janet Bellotto, artist, educator and writer.
Larissa Sansour: Heirloom Exploring memory and identity through science fiction at the Venice Biennale “Entire nations are built on fairytales,” states the character
after the disaster. Alia, the young clone of the scientist
Dunia, responding to Alia in a conversation about memory
Dunia, argues with her about the lived and recollected
and the past in Larissa Sansour’s In Vitro. This two-channel
experience. Dunia lays in her death bed dreaming to
film is part of her presentation Heirloom, curated by Nat
return to a past or her home rebuilt. We experience
Muller, for the Danish Pavilion at the 58th International
memories that Dunia clings to along with those that are
Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
collective and archived through the cloned existence of Alia. As a clone, memories have been implanted, and
Heirloom also includes the mixed media installation
Alia carries the experience of others of a place bygone.
with soundscape Monument for Lost Time, which is
As a new place rebuilds, Alia has a strong will for her
encountered in a room across from the film projection.
own identity and experiences rather than the ones she
The enormous sculpture of an ominous black sphere,
inherited.
with surround synthesized sound, dwarfs the visitors to the pavilion and reflects back to images seen in the
The function of memory is brought to task and questions
film—science fiction infiltrating the real. However, it is
the necessity and the impact of nostalgia. Where does
the narrative of this world underground that explores
an individual’s memory begin and when is it reinvented
nostalgic memories and hope of a future rebuilt.
by the stories of others? Dunia argues how “We were all raised on someone else’s nostalgia.” Yet Alia states, “The
The black and white film opens with a wave of black
problem with nostalgia is that it keeps you entertained…”
oil rushing through the streets of Bethlehem. It
and continues “...while everything you cherish washes
encapsulates a sensation of destruction of all the blood
away.” Deafened by the past and questioning the
lost and memories washed away. Along with transitions
building of the future, inherited trauma, along with the
between archival footage and the narrative past of
role that memories play, weave throughout the scenes. As
the character Dunia, we cannot forget the events of
time navigates from past to future in the film, charged with
Bethlehem’s complex and turbulent history. The story
ownership, heritage, as well as exile, it raises questions:
is set after an ecological disaster of Bethlehem and life
whether the erasure of memory and the neglecting of
living underground—embedding its metaphor for a
clinging to nostalgia would be better for the future, or
life suppressed but safeguarded from threat, while the
whether memories are necessary to avoid future mistakes
Palestinian city can be reconstructed or restored. We
and the construction of a new identity.
see an orchard being replanted, cloning from the seeds that remained.
Heirloom, and in particular In Vitro, provides no immediate consolation for the future in face of disaster, but engages
The film’s title clues the viewer that the character has
the notions of memory both its potential prospect and
been made, and in fact a clone from remaining DNA
hinderance for new beginnings.
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Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind. Installation view of In Vitro, 2-channel black and white film. 27 mins 44 secs, 2019. Photo by Ugo Carmeni Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind. Installation view of A Monument for Lost Time, 2019. Photo by Ugo Carmeni
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Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind. In Vitro, 2-channel black and white film. 27 mins 44 secs, 2019. Courtesy of the artists.
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FEATURE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Inspired by Zhivago Duncan, written by Kit Hammonds, curator.
Zhivago Duncan: Desert Sublime Of myth and imagination, an interpretation of the artist and his work in the Jordan desert Among a scatter of papers I came across by accident
without walls, the apparent target a lonely looking
was a handful of photographs, each labeled for the
white panel now splattered with gunshots and paint
archive of Dr Tiq. While waiting for my own box
explosions. The shooter was the artist I had been
request, I broke archival protocol, idly flipping the
sent to observe who looked about as American as
images over to find hand-written notes on the backs,
anyone could in jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap,
presumably written by the doctor. The first image
holding the automatic rifle in one hand and a glass
casually captured a rifle in a dilapidated car interior.
in the other poured from at least two bottles further down the track than the one that had urged me
“The harsh rattle of Kalashnikov gun fire and a
to retire, and was responsible for the stiletto pain
procession of echoes from nearby cliffs brought me to
that passed from the back of my eyes at isometric
consciousness by stabbing into my already throbbing
angles through my brain.”
skull. While I parsed reality from the troubled dreams,
The artist and his entourage and the local crew had worked as if on a film set, grabbing food on the go, each going about their task to meet the deadline of nightfall
fearful adrenalin took hold that these shots might be
“The day had been a frenzy of activity without formal
directed at the abandoned car that I found myself
break. The artist and his entourage and the local crew
curled up in. It was not that unusual to hear gunfire
had worked as if on a film set, grabbing food on the
in the Jordan’s desert region of Rum. But this seemed
go, each going about their task to meet the deadline
to be closer than normal. Reason slowly overtook fear
of nightfall. Here the desert was the studio, art not so
journalist Justin Dustin, a man whose demeanour
as I remembered this was part of the plan, but still I
much in situ as completely outside of it. In preparation
was reminiscent of Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse
raised my head cautiously in case a stray bullet found
I had done some research into other artists working
Now, came over with another scotch, but all I wanted
me as its unexpected target.”
in the vast expanses—mainly Americans—the beat
was water. At the astro-archeological conventions I
poets and land artists in particular. New to me, the
was more used to attending, I prided myself on the
The next photographs pictured a paint-splattered
poetic, philosophical and intimate writings and works
ability to hold my own in receptions and bars. Here
canvas, a mechanical horse and an illuminated truck,
of Robert Smithson naturally satisfied my bookish
I was gravely out of my depth. Even over the short
each standing alone in landscapes of rock and sand.
curatorial interests. Smithson saw his own distant ‘sites’
distance, I had to stop twice from a swimming head,
The notes continued:
in the null industrial hinterlands as condensing a deep
and at one point rested on a mechanical children’s
past with a science-fiction future. But what was taking
ride that sprang into action as I leaned on it, rocking
“Through the dusty glass the light of the stars shone
place here was different, not merely geographically,
and signing, without reason, in Chinese. It was just
over gloomy sands and rocky outcrops. A couple
but also for the sense of the suspended and isolated
one of the set pieces for this shoot that broke down
of hundred meters away was the mob that had
present that was being created in the fraction of a
this border where white and red sands met into a
brought me here milling around in a halogen oasis
second that it takes for a camera shutter to click. “
disorderly dystopia of cultures. With the gunfire over,
cast by the headlamps of a bulldozer. It was an
the bulldozer was now in operation, pouring sand
unruly scene and an unruly group of Bedouins and
“As I finally dragged myself out of the car a spry
from its shovel while video images were projected
westerners. The lamps created a shooting gallery
photographer—the French-Morrocan photo-
onto cascading walls of sand.’’
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Ghost Portrait of the Artist swinging a light in the desert night (2014) Digital C-print, 100 x 150 cm
I sat mystified and mesmerized by Dr Tiq’s commentaries. Still waiting for the
moved from their headquarters due to political tensions. They did have a
archivist to return from the storage with my request, I pulled out my phone
number of images that one might assume to be by Justin Dustin rather than a
and, resting on an empty glass display case whose fabric interior had exposed
local photographer, framed as they are in the lineage of the American Sublime
the sun-bleached outlines of the objects that had once sat within, I searched
tradition and doctored with symbols of the United States desert highways. A
for the doctor to pass the time. Although the Wiki page was little more than a
further name arose, Zhivago, although it was not clear from other fragmentary
stub, it seemed he had been something of a polymath. While his core discipline
notes if this was a singular artist or the composite name applied to the crew
was in the alignment of ancient civilizations’ architecture to the stars—the
(given his origins appeared to be a merger of Middle Eastern, European and
birth of geometry—he had a sideline in reporting on art exhibitions for a local
American at different times). Among Dr Tiq’s notes was a single live round
newspaper. Oddly, the search also turned up an obituary dated for only three
of high caliber ammunition. The paper tag indicated the round to be surplus
months prior. One passage caught my attention:
from the Syrian Civil War, available on the black market in the deserts during the early 2000s. What emerges from the complex of temporary studio of
“The respected and widely travelled academic entered into the public eye in
nowhere is still to be defined, but the photographs stand as testament to
his later year through his unusual reporting of cultural events having adopted a
something that did occur, and is still to be synthesized within a history of art
Jordanian iteration of the gonzo journalism of the American Hunter S Thompson
and of the region.
famed for his “Fear and Loathing’’ series. His frequent collaborations with Justin Dustin, who had originally arrived in Jordan as a photojournalist during the
This is a first attempt to reconstruct the events that brought about Zhivago
conflicts, were seen as a landmark in liberal reportage. Despite a reputation for
Duncan’s featured works, and capture in spirit, if not always in fact, the
provoking the ire of establishments, and for embracing Western conventions,
circumstances, influences, histories and narratives in which it is situated. These
they were now understood as spearheading a local investigation into the fluid,
photographs are documents that bear witness to the events that occurred in
nomadic cultures that exist outside of the urban centers and the modern state.’’
the Rum Deserts. But they are also part of a story in the making, one whose reality is more fluid and unfixed, but no less truthful. Dr Tiq, Justin Dustin, and
When the archivist finally appeared with the items I requested, I returned them
other characters populate this alternative history as Zhivago and I elucidate
and began instead to piece together more details of what Dr Tiq had been
the missing archives, catalogue texts, museum and provenance labels, and
witness to in the desert. No newspaper report appeared to be produced that
reviews. What happened in the Rum deserts is true—but who was there, and
I could tell, although their records were also incomplete having been forcibly
which role they played, are details that remains to be written.
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2001 Vandalized (2014) Digital C-print, 100 x 150 cm Next Page: Playground (2014) Digital C-print, 100 x 150 cm
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Money Shot and Night Light (2014) Digital C-print, 100 x 150 cm
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Holey Opening (2014) Digital C-print, 100 x 150 cm
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ESSAY Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Suzy Sikorski, art historian and writer.
Ahlam Shibli: Uncovering the Signs of Invisibility Triggering ideas of the past, present and the impending future As the acclaimed late Palestinian artist and writer
35mm photographs in both colour and black and
Kamal Boullata wrote on Shibli’s work in 2003:
white that relate to universal human notions of
“Ahlam is her given name. “Dreams” is what it
existence and belonging, mostly in Middle Eastern
means in Arabic. The state of dreaming may be a
and European communities. Within Palestinian
product of past experiences. The word “dreams,”
photography, pioneers like Khalil Raad in 1890,
however, points to the future. Ahlam Shibli captures
followed by others such as Issa Sawabini, Dad
a present moment that is the product of what may
Sabounji and Karema Abood, documented
look like a distant past when her eye is set on the
everyday lives in Jaffa and developed the basis
future. To see in what way the photographs of
for a national photographic discourse. However with
Ahlam Shibli are constructed in a syntax familiar
Ahlam Shibli (born in Palestine in 1970), we consider
to her mother tongue, and how the memories
complex discontinuities through a multitude of
they capture addresses itself to a future in which
signs, viewing her works as visual texts within a
a moment in time photographed may mirror
larger context. These images encourage the viewer
another, one has to forget how we are used to
to contemplate and search for specific signifiers to
seeing photographs. Having been all used to seeing
trigger ideas of the past, present and the impending
photographs as a record by which we fix the present
future, and find subjective recognition or familiarity
instant to keep a memory alive, or to substantiate
within the visuals. Her hyper-visual images draw
evidence for future retrieval, we cannot believe that
deeper attention to everyday life, and shift our
a photograph could be an image that interchanges
understanding of non-represented communities
a past moment with a future one.”
as they are depicted in media images, closing the
— Kamal Boullata, Cassandra and the Photography
distance between documentary and spontaneous
of the Invisible (2003)
intimacy, and between critical detachment and compassionate engagement.
Palestinian artist Ahlam Shibli uses photography to
Shibli’s hyper-visual images draw deeper attention to everyday life, and shift our understanding of marginalized communities as they are depicted in media images
narrate a rich, complex and developed language
Shibli’s works highlight the contradictory and under-
documenting generic moments found within
appreciated. The artist regularly collects research,
marginalized communities who struggle with a
resulting in a deep understanding of the nature of
sense of belonging and home for themselves.
people, both within Palestine and in marginalized
Spain, France and Germany, as she explores the
Beginning her work in 1996, Shibli has reviewed
communities in Eastern and Western Europe.
diverse social dynamics of the family and provides
her material in groups of images, compiling
Shibli’s images are extremely moving yet entirely
a visual analysis of the landscapes they occupy. Her
nearly thirty photographic series that have been
undramatic. Viewers feel a certain proximity to the
photographs feature carefully chosen arrangements
exhibited internationally at Documenta 14, the
subjects, amplified by close compositions as the
of interior and exterior scenes, of landscapes and
São Paulo Biennial and numerous shows in Spain,
artist literally places herself within the daily activities
houses; we pay attention to the people and the
Portugal, France, Canada, Austria, Jordan, Italy,
and lives of these people. Her research relates to
objects inhabiting the compositions, and notice the
Poland and others. Her series are carefully chosen
particular communities in Palestine, Jordan, Poland,
deliberate staging and framing choices.
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Untitled (Self Portrait no. 3, 10 and 15) (2000) Palestine, chromogenic print, 16.21 x 25 cm
Raised in Palestine from a family of farmers, at a young age Shibli had a keen observance of people and places. Considering the artist’s ‘Self-Portrait’ series, completed in 2000 in Palestine, none of the images are of Shibli herself. A young girl is seen in the distance in a field. She is exploring her surroundings with curiosity, wandering and finding her way underneath a bridge and in between the bushes. Her back is turned towards us or we are confronted with a cropped image of her feet. Shibli balances between the invisible and the visible. The images of the girl blend with the landscape and the distance between the camera and the subject acts as a visual tool for merging past with present. The series is a narration between time present and time past and gives materiality to contrasting concepts of memory and prediction, the seen and the unseen, and interior and exterior. Within Palestinian communities, Shibli captures the diversity of living situations found both in private and public spaces, and aims to illustrate a sense of belonging to and intimacy with the location. This is manifested within a mosaic of human gestures, language and archival documents and objects. The Arab al-Sbaih (Jordan, 2007) series has been photographed at four different places, the Irbid Refugee Camp, Irbid City, the al-Baqa’a Refugee Camp and Amman, documenting three generations of Palestinian refugees who have been living there since the 1948 Nakba. The refugees in Jordan depicted in the series attempt to preserve the memory of their homeland while physically being absent from it. They do so by naming their shops
Untitled from the series Arab al-Sbaih no.22, Jordan (2007) Chromogenic print, 38 x 57.7 cm
Untitled from the series Arab al-Sbaih no. 5, Jordan (2007) Gelatin silver print, 57.7 x 38 cm
after places in Palestine and reproducing the social structure of their original villages. The images are of run-down streets and sidewalks, writings and drawings on walls, and of tombstones at the Cemetery of Martyrs. Improvised houses are shown, filled with family photographs and precious keepsakes. A sense of intimacy registers within these photographs, highlighted by the fact that the individual communities have come to make these places their home, and carry on in their drive to preserve their collective identity. We notice this in the faces of the people who populate the streets and it is apparent in the carefully chosen interior decor of their homes, and the new spaces they have created to pay their respects to the deceased.
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Occupation (al-Khalil/Hebron, Palestine,
series Horse Race in Jericho (Jericho, Palestine,
Clockwise: Untitled (Occupation no. 19), Hebron, Palestine (2016 - 2017)
2016-17) explores the social fabric of al-Khalil/
1997), we again notice a spatial distance, and
Chromogenic print, 40 x 26,7 cm. House of Masarra al-Swaity, al-Ja’abari
Hebron, most notably in its urban areas. Shibli’s
the absence and presence of community. This
neighborhood, Old Town, al-Khalil, December 14, 2016. In order to
images leave no doubt in their viewers mind:
horse race was captured in the wake of the Oslo
protect themselves the family installed metal sheets around their house.
Palestinians are bound to a limited space in the
Agreement which stipulated Jericho and Gaza
Old Town and to an environment defined by
to be placed under the control of a Palestinian
borders. However, her images do not force the
authority. Instead of focusing on the horses, the
chromogenic print, 40 × 60 cm. Playground, Souq al-Haddadeen, Hay
viewer to focus on this destruction. Shibli’s goal
work creates an analogy between the excitement
al-Yahud/Avraham Avinu settlement, Old Town, al-Khalil, December 21,
is not to concentrate on oppression or abuse.
of the spectators who are unaware of the horse
2016. The wall behind the playground of the settlement is the backside of
Instead she uses her camera from a distance,
racing rules and the unfounded expectations
Palestinian blacksmith’s shops. Palestinians are absolutely prohibited from
segmenting the space and creating within it a
connected to the Oslo Agreement. Considering
entering the area of Souq al-Haddadeen (blacksmith’s shops).
moment of serenity. There is a sense of peace, a
the black and white images, the viewer feels
tranquil aftermath. Shibli fixes her spaces in time,
both distant and close—the monochrome colour
Untitled (Occupation no. 30), al-Khalil/Hebron, Palestine, (2016–2017)
after they’ve been affected by the passing of
creates a sense of temporal detachment, while
Chromogenic print, 100 x 150 cm. Al-Sahleh Street, al-Qaitoun
time. Rarely do people appear, save for children.
the spectators appear on different spatial planes,
neighborhood, Old Town, al-Khalil, October 20, 2016. The Abu al-Rish
Instead, life and presence is suggested with
confusing our interpretation of what is close
checkpoint located in al-Sahleh Street, south of al-Haram al-Ibrahimi
bold colours, found in the playgrounds, plants,
and what is far. We are unable to make sense
(Abraham’s Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs), is named after the Abu
windows and roofs, and in subtle clues that
of what the spectators are looking at. There is
al-Rish mosque and shrine next to it. The checkpoint separates the
point to how a community is internalizing its
a juxtaposition of playfulness and seriousness,
Abu Sunaina and al-Qaitoun neighborhoods from the Old Town. It also
experience in both public and private space.
and collectivism and isolation, mirroring the
separates the neighborhood from the oldest school in al-Khalil, the
Shibli is able to maintain a perfect distance
overwhelming expectation of Palestinians to
al-Ibrahimeyeh School, and from al-Hajariya Girls School. Palestinians are
which allows her to record what surrounds her
begin a normal life, and the illusion of an end
allowed to pass only on foot. Palestinians between the ages of 16 and 34
while being completely immersed in it. In the
of the occupation.
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Untitled (Occupation no. 6), al-Khalil/Hebron, Palestine, (2016 - 2017)
are and prohibited from passing.
Untitled (Trauma no. 33), Corrèze, France, (2008–2009) Chromogenic print, 38 x 57.7 cm. Naves, 11th June, 2009. Guy Piron served on a submarine in Indochina and North Africa and is the president of the Corrèze chapter of the Union française des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre (UFAC),
Untitled (Trauma no. 25), Corrèze, France,(2008–2009) Chromogenic print, 38 x 57.7 cm. Tulle, 14th June, 2009. Thin Kieu showing a photo from 1946 depicting, according to the inscription on its back, the inauguration of a memorial honouring Ngi Muge Thai Hoc who died as a war hero for France which he considered his country.
Untitled (Trauma no. 26), Corrèze, France, (2008–2009) Chromogenic print, 38 x 57.7 cm. Tulle, 2nd June, 2009. Michel Trésallet presenting a photo of the lady next to him, Pierrette Barrat-Arnal, which shows her as a nurse at the Manufacture d’armes de Tulle (MAT), during the Occupation.
Shibli has taken her photography outside of Palestine to explore other regions, marginalised communities, and buried memories. Her work often focuses on individuals who relate to her own personal experience – people who confront the oppressive authority of history and its contemporary repercussions. In Trauma (Corrèze, France, 2008-2009) Shibli questions the authority of history to legitimize a nation or homeland. The artist reveals connections between victim and perpetrator, freedom fighter and colonizer, and the oppressor and the oppressed. Photographs include portraits of French veterans who experienced Nazi persecution during World War II as a result of their resistance to German occupation, culminating in a commemoration on June 9th to honour the French martyrs. Other photographs are of maps of North Africa and draw our attention to the fact that some survivors of the German occupation went on to join the colonial French forces in Indochina and Algeria in the 1950s to 60s. Together, the images chronicle and interweave two distinct histories without resolution.
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Seeking a place unscarred by the trauma of war or catastrophe, Shibli shifted her lens to capture children in orphanages. In the series Dom Dziecka. The house starves when you are away’ (Poland, 2008) the artist visited children in orphanages in Poland, keen to explore how children are affected by the absence or the loss of home. However, she soon became aware of a kind of ‘childrens’ society’ which led one boy to say, ‘It’s not dom dziecka [childrens’ home—the name of the institution], it is dom [home].’ The images depict both a sense of community and isolation, in both black and white and colour photographs. The children are captured in their own spaces, and it is apparent that they share a sense of belonging. Their spaces are personalized and bright, decorated with posters and scattered in stuffed animals. However, paired with harsh exteriors and dilapidated walls, the scenes also suggest a sadness in the children’s effort to mask the harsh reality of their circumstances. Ahlam Shibli, Untitled (Dom Dziecka. The house starves when you are away no. 5) Poland (2008) Chromogenic print, 38 x 57.7 cm. Dom Dziecka Na Zielonym Wzgórzu, Kisielany-Żmichy, May 19, 2008, early Monday morning. Stanisław Trochimiak waking up for school.
Untitled (Heimat no. 1), Nordhessen, Germany (2016–2017) Chromogenic print, 100 × 66.7 cm. Gedenkstätte und Museum Trutzhain, 13.11.2016. Housed in a former barracks, the Trutzhain Museum documents the history of the prisoner of war camp STALAG IX A Ziegenhain and the expellees who were resettled there in 1948. The partially depicted display board presents an aerial view of the site and photos of the construction of the barracks, as well as a light bulb and a piece of barbed wire from the camp.
Similarly, Heimat (Nordhessen, Germany, 2016-17) documents expellees and refugees (Heimatvertriebene and Flüchtlinge) of German descent forced to leave territories east of the Oder-Neisse line in 1945/46, as well as guest workers (Gastarbeiter) from the Mediterranean region who were recruited in the mid-1950s to facilitate the German “economic miracle.” Both were forced to seek a new home in the city of Kassel, home of Documenta, the world’s most ambitious exhibition of contemporary art. Shibli explores the many ways in which these different groups attempted to create a new home in a place that was not of their choosing. Capturing monuments, documents and personal effects, family photographs and letters, Shibli questions notions of history, memory, and belonging, and emphasises the challenge of rebuilding the concept of home. She investigates, through images, the process of social integration and identification of people who find themselves in an unfamiliar place or context.
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Untitled (Horse Race in Jericho no. 5) Jericho, Palestine, (1997) Gelatin silver print, 37.8 x 57.6 cm
Untitled (Horse Race in Jericho no. 4) Jericho, Palestine, (1997) Gelatin silver print, 37.8 x 57.6 cm
Reviewing each of Shibli’s series, we are reminded of the competing forces of absence and presence captured in the objects, people and settings she photographs. Shibli is interested in the unrecognized or uncounted, and her work thus engages in a never-ending narrative of temporality and memory. Her images are reflective, apparent in her non-judgmental and natural gaze. Shibli’s images allow the viewer to notice and feel without intervention. Drawing parallels between past and present and fiction and reality, Shibli’s work compares the individual and collective conditions of different groups and communities, and explores the universality of the human experience of home and belonging. Reflected across generations, ethnicities and disparate histories, the works of Shibli analyse and appreciate how these communities are facing life, from both an inside and outside perspective, and how their experiences have been internalized in their individual and collective identities.
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PORTFOLIO Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Sabrina DeTurk, art historian, curator, writer and educator.
Samer Mohdad: Writing in Light Diversity, connection and contradiction in the modern Arab world In the summer of 1985, Samer Mohdad followed his
young boys learning to shoot a military rifle but also
cousin Kamal into the heart of the ‘Mountain War’
learning traditional Palestinian dances, reflecting
being fought between the Christian Phalangists and
the profound disjunctions brought on by war. His
the Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in the Chouf
photographic style is both straightforward and
region of Lebanon. Kamal, Druze like Mohdad and
dramatic; children often face the camera directly,
a commander in the PSP, had agreed to allow his
but the viewer is also drawn to backgrounds filled
cousin to record the events of the summer’s campaign.
with shadow, in which secondary elements of the
Mohdad emerged from the experience with both a
photo can tell a deeper story.
film titled Le but (‘The goal’) and a drive to continue his education as a filmmaker. He was 19 years old.
In 1996, Mohdad’s second book, Retour a Gaza (Return to Gaza), reflected the experiences of 415
I wrote in light the stories of people from countries marked by centuries of clashes, and captured moments in time that make us face our realities as Arabs with deeper conviction.
Mohdad would return to Lebanon during the
men who were expelled from Gaza to South Lebanon
holidays while completing his bachelor’s degree
in 1992 because of their connections to Hamas or
in photography at the École supérieure des arts
to other Islamist organizations. Collaborating with
Saint-Luc de Liège in Belgium and continued
reporter Andreas Dietrich, Mohdad visited the men in
photographing the ongoing civil war in the country.
the Marj az-Zohour displacement camp in 1993 and
After his graduation in 1988, he was employed
then again in Gaza after their return in the summer
by Agence Vu, a French photojournalism agency,
of 1994. As with War Children, the photographs in
for which he continued to shoot features on the
Return to Gaza reflect Mohdad’s ability to capture
Lebanese conflict. From all of this work came his
both individual pathos and a larger sense of
first book, Les enfants de la guerre, Liban, 1985-
determination in the face of desperate circumstances.
1992 (War Children, Lebanon, 1985-1992) which was
In a photo of Fadlallah Abu Taylakh taken at Marj
published in France in 1993. Photos from the book
az-Zohour, Mohdad portrays the exiled Palestinian
joy on the face of this man as he plays with his child
were exhibited in Beirut and France and Mohdad
as he changes clothes behind a makeshift screen
lights up the photo. Mohdad notes that many of the
began to acquire a reputation for capturing both the
stretched in front of the forbidding rocky landscape
men he photographed for the project, including Abu
horror and the banality of persistent warfare, using
of South Lebanon. Only his face is visible, his eyes
Taylakh, later rose to positions of authority within
a style evocative of street photography as much as
fixed in the so-called “thousand-yard stare” familiar
Hamas and, thus, the work documents not only
of war photography.
to war photographers who have captured that vacant,
their particular experience but a broader sense of
resigned look on the faces of hundreds of soldiers
the growing importance of Hamas as a force to be
In War Children, Mohdad shows us the children
over the years. A second photo of Abu Taylakh, taken
reckoned with in Middle East politics. As Mohdad
of Southern Lebanon’s refugee camps in places
in Gaza after his return from the camp, shows him
writes in the introduction to the book, “Besides telling
like Ain el-Helweh, near Saida, where the Palestine
lying on the floor, laughing as he hoists his young
a story of exile and return, one that touches on the
Liberation Organization recruited child soldiers
daughter into the air. The surroundings are scarcely
destiny of the Palestinian people, Return to Gaza
known as Lion Cubs. Mohdad photographed these
less bleak than those of the previous photo, yet the
witnesses the beginnings of this rise to power.”
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From the series War Children (2014) Gelatin silver print, 40 x 60 cm Preparing dinner at the Syrian Nationalist Party’s Lions cubs training camp in Mount Lebanon, 1989
This reflection on the power of his photography to document not just individual
afforded to women in the city. In a grainy photo from 2003, Mohdad captures a
stories but a collective shift in consciousness and political commitment is germane
scene from a shopping mall in Jeddah. In the foreground, two uniformed guards
to Mohdad’s next book, the first in a trilogy that would examine the variety of
are captured walking towards the camera. The image is cropped, showing only
contemporary Arab life while attending to the historical vestiges present in current
part of their bodies and focusing the viewer’s attention on their hands, which
society. Mes Arabies (My Arabias) was published in 1999 and documents the
are touching. Their arms form a “v” that frames the figures of two abaya-clad
photographer’s travels through 12 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
women walking behind them. The gesture of touch, of easy physical intimacy,
From the Friday markets of Algeria, where a dejected vendor sits in front of his
enacted by the men is contrasted with the erasure of physicality embodied by
secondhand goods laid out on a dirty street, to the National Day celebrations
the veiled women behind them, reflecting the boundaries and differing modes
in Abu Dhabi, where two sheikhs recline on overstuffed sofas behind trays piled
of expression available to men and women in the society.
with delicacies, Mohdad continues his exploration of street photography as a means to capture the diversity of lived experience in contemporary Arab society.
It was not until 2005, following the assassination of former prime minister Rafic
The dichotomy of Arab existence, expressed for Mohdad as a simultaneous
Hariri, that Syrian forces fully withdrew from Lebanon, where they had maintained
experience of pride and defeat, is written in these images.
a strong presence in the mountain region since 1976. A reconciliation between the Druze and Christians in 1993, had paved the way for former residents to
The second book in the trilogy, Assaoudia XXVIe s = XVe h (Saudi Arabia 21st
return to this region, but the ongoing Syrian presence and lack of basic services
century CE = 15 century Hijri) was published in 2005 and documents Mohdad’s
continued to discourage occupancy. Working with the EU and government-
experiences in the kingdom, where he both traveled and lived in the early 2000s.
sponsored AKFAR program, Mohdad developed the Mes Ententes (My
The photographer first visited Saudi Arabia in 2000 to present his photographs
Understandings) project to assess the return of displaced families to Mount
from the My Arabias series in Riyadh for the celebrations of the city’s designation
Lebanon. His documentation of the project resulted in a short film and book of
at Capital City of Arab Culture. He then returned to Riyadh in 2001 to set up the
the same name, published in 2005.
th
Centre for the Image at King Abdulaziz Library, a project which lasted until 2003. Mohdad’s photographs from Saudi capture the complexities and contradictions
With photographers Akram Zaatari and Fouad Elkoury, Mohdad established
of life in the kingdom. He documents the lives of Bedouin women in the Empty
the Arab Image Foundation, headquartered in Beirut, in 1997. His 2013 book,
Quarter whose remote way of life permits somewhat more freedoms than those
Beyrouth Mutations (Beirut Mutations) recounts the reasons for this project.
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In Mohdad’s words, “When I first exhibited my photography in the early 90s at the Musée de l’Elysée in
From the series War Children (2014)
Switzerland and the Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi, Belgium, there was no category for my work.
Gelatin silver print, 40 x 60 cm
The label ‘Arab photography’ simply did not exist. Up until then, famous images of the Arab world had
Frontline between east and west Beirut seen from the
been taken by outsiders, Westerners who traveled to the Middle East in search of exoticism and thrills.
west, Zkak El Blat district downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 1989
Therefore, I have decided to create the Arab Image Foundation to build up the Arab photography history starting from scratch, so my works and works of other Arab artists find an anchor point.” The ongoing work of the Foundation in both archiving photographic works and exposing them to new audiences is of critical importance to the visual arts in the Arab world. In 2018, Mohdad published his only non-photographic book to date, Voyage en Pays Druze (Journey in Druze Country). In it, he recounts his childhood growing up as a member of this secretive and little-understood sect as well as recounting his experiences of the civil war that overshadowed his youth. Although the book does not contain photographs, Mohdad’s vivid language paints a picture of the sights and sounds of his youth and young adulthood, forming a companion to the visual documentation of his photography. Mohdad is currently working on the third volume of his Arabs trilogy, which will be titled Le dernier Arabe (The Last Arab) and will include his most recent photographs from the Arab world.
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​From the series War Children (2014) Gelatin silver print, 40 x 60 cm Children at the PLO Lions Cubs in the Ain el-Helweh refugee camp near Saida, south Lebanon, learn Dabkeh, a traditional Palestinian dance, 1989
Next Page: From the series Return to Gaza (2014) Gelatin silver print, 60 x 90 cm Part from the 415 expelled Palestinians arrive back at the camp after having marched to the border with Israel to protest against their deportation, Marj az-Zouhor, south Lebanon, 1993
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One of the 415 expelled Palestinians showing the drawn portrait of his daughter back home in Gaza at Marj az-Zohour camp, south of Lebanon, 1993 From the series Return to Gaza (2014) Gelatin silver print, 40 x 60 cm. Abu Ahmed Jadallah during exile at the Marj az-Zouhour camps in no man’s land, south Lebanon, 1993
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From the series Mes Arabies (2014) Gelatin silver print, 40 x 60 cm Naqsh-e Rostam is an ancient necropolis located at 5 km of Persepolis, in Fars Province, Iran, 1995
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Clockwise: From the series Mes Arabies (2014) Gelatin silver print, 40 x 60 cm Indonesian students of Islamic theology at the Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, 1994 Interior of an underground house in the old city of Ghadames, Libya, 1994 Remains of the Sun Temple of the Sabean kingdom, Marib, Yemen, 1994 Zawia Sidi Rahal, a mausoleum dedicated to the renowned Sufi man protector of travelers, Morocco, 1994
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From the series Assaoudia (2014) Gelatin silver print, 80 x 120 cm. Weekend picnic in the dunes in Mozahemia near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2002. Bedouin women after milking camels in the Empty Quarter, Sharoura, Saudi Arabia, 2003
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From the series Assaoudia (2014) Gelatin silver print, 40 x 60 cm Shopping mall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2003
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From the series Beirut Mutations (2014) Gelatin silver print, 60 x 90 cm Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium. It was destroyed during Israeli invasion in 1982. Beirut, Lebanon, 1985 Demonstration following Hariri’s assassination, Beirut, Lebanon, March 14, 2005.
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From the series Beirut Mutations (2014) Gelatin silver print, 60 x 90 cm Dumping the front sea of Normandy with public garbage to create an artificial island, Beirut, Lebanon 1992.
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PORTFOLIO Images - Courtesy of the artist Writer - Flounder Lee, artist, educator and curator.
Zied Ben Romdhane: West of Life and Other Projects Where happiness prevails amongst the broken and eroded Documentary and street photography overlap and
the scene less playful and more wary. Romdhane
world crop up when you look closer. Under the Sand
intertwine in ideas and subjects but somehow still
describes one encounter: “While I was shooting
tackles the desertification and encroaching sand
stay distinctly separate in most photographers’ work.
West of Life, a kid jumped in front of me wanting
on villages in southern Tunisia. Here, though, the
Tunisian photographer Zied Ben Romdhane manages
me to take him a photo. So, I said, ‘Yes, of course.’ He
moments so far in the work contain more muted
to combine them in fascinating ways. West of Life
disappeared for a while then he came back wearing a
humor than West of Life. Someone reaches for a water
and other projects deal with deadly serious topics
cardboard armor and a big smile in his face. I found
spigot that protrudes from the face of a sand dune,
such as mining and desertification—documentary at
this very funny and creative in the same time.”
the tiny pool of water underneath proof that the water
its finest—but still manage the bursts of candidness
still flows, evidence this is a recent sand incursion. The
and humor that are the bread and butter of street
These comic moments, however, are contrasted with
drama is amped up with scenes such as a dune that
photography. It is hard to imagine any work by
photographs of a much darker nature. Degraded and
dwarfs a village. Still Romdhane makes sure that the
Sebastião Salgado, whose projects cover some similar
eroded landscapes are seen throughout the series.
bursts of life prevail with another photo showing kids
topics as Romdhane’s, such as mining, to be funny.
People, as well as the places, seem a bit broken, a bit
riding their bikes on a tall dune.
Conversely, work by celebrated street photographers
worn. Life here doesn’t look easy, but it isn’t all sad;
such as Vivian Maier rarely has the depth to cross
the bursts of happiness keep the series from weighing
While black and white was not really a choice for
over into documentary. Of course, there are rare
so heavily that you can’t bear to look at it. Romdhane
much of photography’s history, now it definitely is.
exceptions who balance humour with documentary,
makes sure that the people are not seen as victims,
Romdhane makes use of monochrome throughout
such as Robert Frank. Romdhane’s work combines
that they are still living their life, just with the desire
his work to reduce visual ‘noise.’ Despite being
these two genres in a spectacular way that keeps
to have more control over their future.1
monochrome, the work shows a colourful world, filled
rewarding the viewer for spending more time with
with life and laughter. In a photographic tradition,
the images. There are moments that would happily
Balancing these two sides of reality was something
he’s using the lack of colour to help us break from
reside in other photographic traditions such as still
that took Romdhane awhile to accomplish, but it
reality to look back at it in a new light. This line of
life, portraiture, and abstraction. This genre mixing
is the keystone in the work. He says, “Despite the
reasoning goes well back; Ansel Adams thought that
makes sense given his wide-ranging influences such
harsh conditions in that region I was surprised about
“the two-dimensional, monotone nature of a black
as Haruki Murakami, Martin Parr, and Todd Hido.
the energy and the sense of humour that people
and white photographic image was in itself a radical
have there. The contradiction strengthened the story
departure from reality.”2
Romdhane’s most celebrated series is West of Life.
telling. To be able to catch those funny moments with
The project examines a nearly uninhabitable region,
strangers took me a long period of coming and going
Overall, Zied Ben Romdhane’s work is a vivid portrayal
Gafsa, an important phosphate mining area. This
to establish relationships based on trust.”
of life, full of humour, pain, laughter, hardship. He
project perfectly conveys the mix of humour and
engages topics that affect his country, Tunisia, on
depth that pervades much of his recent work. In
In two of Romdhane’s in-progress projects, The
the macro and micro scale such as environmental
one photograph, with a serious look on her face, an
Box and Under the Sand, this unique mix of humor
degradation and employment. He mixes multiple
older lady, Zayda, stands against a weatherworn wall
and serious topics continues. The Box deals with a
genres of photography to tell a more complete story.
and strikes her best body builder pose. In another,
prestigious company in a hip area of Tunis. On the
One where the subjects are not victims to be pitied,
a boy paddles a refrigerator through a reedy area,
surface, it seems ideal, with moments of laughter,
but people who simply want more control over their
the background, though, is a chemical plant, making
but disillusionment and detachment from the outside
own destiny and future.
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Mdhilla, the grandson of ‘saad’ the old knight playing with a cardboard armour (2015) Next Page: Chattessalam, a boy rowing in a fridge behind the chemical factory (2014)
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Mittlaoui ’Zeyda’ (2015)
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Clockwise: Mdhilla, a grandmother watching her grandson while trick riding (2015) Mine worker with broken back (2015) Mdhila, ’Saad’ the old knight (2015) Oummlaarayes, a boy’s backflip off wall in a soccer field (2015)
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Mittlaoui, a cloud on the top of a hill near the phosphate field (2015) Redayef, old undergound mine (2015) Mittlaoui, sunset landscape (2015)
Chatt el salem, chemical waste evacuated in the sea (2014) Mittlaoui, Estuary of chemical waste (2015)
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Thelja, the pyramid piling of processed phosphate (2015)
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Nadia, age unknown, takes a break in her kitchen. She makes jewelry.
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Clockwise: Amani (10) strokes her horse Khmisa in the courtyard of her house. She has a special relationship with her horses. Manel goes out wearing her protective mask. Manel makes scarves, but she stopped going to the support center for the disabled because of her condition. Gloves and a mask worn by people affected by XP, for protection against UV rays. Farah (26) chooses what to wear before going out for a coffee at the end of the day. Next Page: Amani (10) can only go out to play in the street after the sun has set.
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PORTFOLIO Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Latifa Al Khalifa, curator and arts manager.
Ghada Khunji: A Lifetime of Poetic Portraiture Adding dimension to documentary photography “I wasn’t doing it to share immediate news, I was
time, I knew I wouldn’t have 18,000 choices, to look
doing it because I was capturing stories,’ Khunji
at later when I came home.”
explains, “…sometimes those of people whom not necessarily everyone is interested in.” For decades,
It is in her travels that Khunji produces her best
artist and photographer Ghada Khunji (b.1967), took
work. She portrays her subjects in a dignified
the medium of documentary photography and used it
light, amplifying their beauty, however never in
as a catalyst to create visual poetry. Her photographs
the traditional sense. Regardless of a person’s
recite the stories of her subjects, who are carefully
background, she will capture their pride and
placed in the centre of her photographs. Not one of
their power. It is a common denominator in her
them smiles, and the camera is positioned in a way
documentary portraiture for Khunji to tilt her camera
that gifts those she photographs with an arresting
at an angle which gives the people she captures
prominence, making them seem like they tower ten-
a supernatural grandeur. Each photograph shows
feet tall. One can find Khunji in her photographs.
you a different person representing a world often
Not in the traditional sense as a self-portrait, but in
hidden or forgotten, and a glimpse into Khunji’s
the subjects and individuals she illuminates with her
unique spirit. Every destination she travels to is an
lens. Khunji boasts countless accolades, from winning
ambitious endeavour. The first of many trips was
the Lucie Discovery of the Year (2006), American
to the Dominican Republic, which the artist credits
Photo Magazine’s Image of the Year Award (2007),
as as one of her strongest series of documentary
as well as the Golden Lights Award for Travel (2006),
photographs. In this series, one can appreciate the
she continuously arrests her audience with images
beginning of something significant, a repertoire that
of people you might never meet, and yet feel an
Khunji will slowly build while defining her craft and
uncanny familiarity with.
technique.
Although Khunji dabbled in fashion photography
Subsequently Khunji travelled to Cuba, Mexico, South
Her images are timeless. With the click of her camera Khunji invites us into an alternate universe, where people are not defined by fashion, politics or the business of money
whilst studying in New York at Parsons School of
Africa, India and America’s Bible Belt, and for each
and a half months, living with the locals and finding
Design, her interest in the glamorous, celebrity-
she documented the ephemeral and phantasmal
new tales to tell. With limited film, she would only
packed parties quickly waned as she searched for
resonance of the place. “I think I’ve always felt
get a few chances for each shot and so she had to
something deeper. Khunji instead made a decision
this, that as artists we should keep reinventing
make it count, and quickly satiate her hunger for
when it came to her art, she would traverse the
ourselves,” Khunji says. Another characteristic of
the perfect shot.
globe for the truth she pined for. “I searched for
her documentary work is that her images are timeless.
moments where I became the person that was
With the click of her camera Khunji invites us into an
“When it came to the Indian girl with the braids…
my subject. Moments when I was seeing myself
alternate universe, where people are not defined by
she didn’t want me to photograph her and usually
mirrored in the people I capture and the beauty
fashion, politics or the business of money. For her
that’s okay. I say thank you and am on my way. But,
of it was because I was only using negatives at the
Hindustan series, Khunji travelled to India for two
I couldn’t. I just really needed that picture. I felt I
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From the series Cuba (2005 & 2007) Cuba, Medium format analog
needed it. And so two guys, you don’t see in the negative, two older men,
To boast Khunji’s adventurous spirit is even more impressive. And to also face the
convinced her to say yes. And so, she gave me one photo. And believe it or
unknown and continuously find beauty through anger and sadness, in religious
not when I first saw the negative there was nothing to be fixed…. The colors
settings or slums, in light and shadow, to portray people from all walks of life
were something else but that’s the thing I couldn’t resist. It was waiting. She was
as beautiful, strong and majestic, that is very special. “Well, I guess you have to
waiting for me till that day.”
just go where fate takes you right? You don’t risk it, you don’t get it.” And that encapsulates Ghada’s work, how she shows people, her steps were mapped
Being from Bahrain (which in many ways mimicks the attributes of a small town)
before she even travelled. Each person she has photographed was waiting for
it is rare for anyone to break the mould and pursue a career as a photographer.
her, so that they could speak to her their truth.
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From the series Cuba (2005 & 2007) Cuba Medium format analog
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From the project Hallelujah Momma (1998) Virginia/USA Medium format analog
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From the series Hindustan (2008) India Medium format analog
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From the project La Republica Dominicana (1994) The Dominican Republic Medium format analog
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From the series The Rose Garden (2013) Bahrain Medium format analog
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From the series Zanzibar (2010) Tanzania Medium format analog
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From the series Within the Shadows (2012) Bahrain, Leica digital
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PROFILE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Ari Akkermans, writer and art critic.
Alfred Tarazi: Dear Madness Collages from a vault of memories How do we rearrange photographic knowledge
the grand narrative of the war, towards an order of
streams of history are revealed, a reality that
in an event of historical cessation? We are not
introspection, closer in time and personal in voice.
supersedes all fictions and annihilates itself. Using
talking here about a mere interruption in the flow
Reconstructing the historical events that took place in
her European passport, Madness flees the country,
of the everyday, but a condition of dissolution. In
Lebanon 2005-2006 between the Cedar Revolution
and in the subsequent demolition of her house,
his practice, Lebanese artist Alfred Tarazi has always
and the end of the July War from a first person,
another layer of story-telling is revealed.
been captivated (hostage, you may say) by the
the artist is not only putting together fragmentary
metaphysical transgressions of the Lebanese Civil
recollections from the war, but rearranging his
Throughout the 24 scenes of this almost cinematic,
War—it’s not just about violence, but the liquefaction
own vault of memories. Dear Madness is a fiction
historical painting, Tarazi invokes the unwritten
of reality—and turns to representation with an almost
inside the archive, and the metaphor for a reckless,
architectural history of the city, not as a tool to
cynical question: Is there a memory more reliable
turbulent and unattainable love, Beirut herself: “This
enhance his narrative but rather as a general
than a photograph? It is in fact here that we have
is your story, Madness, this is your city and this is
structure. It is through enclosure around physical sites
the makings of madness. A convoluted, impossible,
your house.”
and their history that the story becomes tangible:
unbearable history reduced to a body of photography; overwhelming, partisan and interminable.
“The 8th of March [was] born on Riad El Soloh In the panorama Cara Matta (2019), on show in
square, and the 14th of March on Martyrs Square.
Art Dubai last spring, a kind of classical historical
But those two squares have things in common. First
But instead of reversing the process or intervening
painting in scenes leads the viewer through a series
they both contain statues, and second both statues
the archive, Tarazi’s method is that of a conservator;
of encounters between madness and himself, that
were made by the same Italian sculptor, Renato
how to restore the chronology? In his restoration
intersect and overlap with key events in this period.
Mazzacurati.” Photography, architecture, urbanism
work, photographs and archives reappear as
The assassination of Rafic Hariri (among others),
and war, all in equal measures part of the legacy of
para-text through juxtaposition, and emerge as
the establishment of the opposing camps that still
Modernity in the Arab world.
footnotes to themselves—image, text and fiction
divide the Lebanese political spectrum, March 8
in boundless composition. Out of this chaos, the
and March 14, or the deadly war with Israel that for
A modernity without restraints or limits, a
absurd and the ambiguous merge into the role-
the umpteenth time, saw parts of Beirut destroyed.
simultaneous laboratory and museological
playing of historiography, leaving us at the mercy
Is Madness the metaphor for Beirut, or vice versa?
showcase. For Tarazi, an artist always skeptical of
of singular, unexplained photographic acts. His
images and politics, and often laconic in language,
signature collaged panoramas–an early ancestor of
In this epic of love, and well, madness, the fictional
the photograph is no longer a medium but an early
cinema—are a phantasmagoria of truncated images,
details are as important as the true events on account
ruin. It is capable of immortalizing the unimportant,
unevenly distributed, wounded archive and dystopian
of their hagiographic nature. The assassination of
thus clogging the pores of history’s path, at the end
mythology; references tear themselves off the flesh,
Hariri on St. George Bay in 2005 merges with the
of which there’s only non-reason without apocalypse:
melting into the whole.
legend of how St. George, the patron saint of Beirut,
“This is her story, Madness, this is her city and this is
slayed the dragon in the medieval tale. Unlike the
her house. This is the ruin in which we made vows,
And then, there’s “Dear Madness...”, where the
Greek epic that birthed St. George, in Cara Matta
this is the square in which we sang for freedom and
observer is both subject and object of inquiry. In
there’s no obvious resolution or hero; it is only
this is the war we fought together. It has all vanished.
more recent years, Tarazi has distanced himself from
because of its historical accuracy that mysterious
It is all gone.”
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Cara Matta consists of two scrolls framed within a box, one vertical, the other horizontal, activated through a hand-powered crank
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PROFILE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Sumeja Tulic, writer and photographer.
Btihal Remli: Inside Intimate observations, made from afar Some readings of photographs necessitate little or
Take her series Inside in which she documents
no additional context. They presume that the act
how salaat (prayer) transformation every day and
of looking is guided by an informed interest in the
secular places that facilitate trade, transport,
photographed topic, subject, event. This benevolent
and family life into religious spaces. Although
presumption, like most presumptions, falls on its
the title of the series justifies the expectation of
own sword: the uncertainty of the premise. What
a photographer embedded within her subjects,
if the idea used as the basis for the expectation is
photographing from the prayer carpet beneath
not true or sufficient?
those who bow and prostrate to God in the direction of the Kaaba at Mecca. But this is
In her work, Btihal Remli, the German-born
not the case. Inside, actually, is a look from the
photographer of Moroccan origin, circumvents
outside in on a ritual that, although performative,
the dangers of uncertainty with the elegance and
is not a performance. To consciously perform
respect of an observant, critical and pragmatic mind.
prayer in front of a camera is antithetical to its
Remli is unwilling to waste time on considerations
raison d’etre: transcendence into the realm of
that take away from the intimacy or urgency of
the otherworldly and holly.
the situation developing before the lens of her camera. Instead of treading the learned path of
So, if one is to document it without explicit
documentary photography, often a choreography of
permission, one ought to be like Remli: stand
objectivity and didactics for the gaze of the outsider,
behind the curtain, point the camera from the
without fear of being “vague” or “unclear” Remli
opening between walls or in passing, and without
is on a different path, where process prioritizes the
flash. The frame that comes out may not be clear. It
intricacies of her stories— be they about dark magic,
may have motion in it as the body may be caught
identity, religion or gender.
by a double-exposure-like effect. What is seen won’t be explicated, but it also won’t be mystified.
Remli’s storytelling can be easily perceived as a negation of the documentary process. Perhaps it
What one sees in Remli’s Inside transcends the
is, but, in dwelling on that one may ignore its more
particulars of the topic. It is a material artifact
substantial and defining quality: its commitment
of immateriality. Unlike reckless and nonchalant
to truth. Remli intends the viewer of her work to
voyeurism, Remli’s work creates a solid ground
know that despite her proximity to the subject, she
between two antonymous realms: the secular
will remain the outsider that she, as a storyteller,
and sacral. The in-between is not a stand-in
inherently is. Remli’s position outside the parameters
for contradiction, but a stance for reflection
of the narrative not only creates the rhythm of the
and inquiry. It is not a way out of a conundrum
photographic sequence but also sets its genre.
but a way in.
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Remli’s storytelling can be easily perceived as a negation of the documentary process. Perhaps it is, but, in dwelling on that one may ignore its more substantial and defining quality: its commitment to truth
The Opening #2 from the series Inside (2014) Morocco, C-Print, 60 x 60 cm
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Mohammeds Carpet-14 from the series Inside (2014) Morocco, C-Print, 60 x 60 cm
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Clockwise: Throne Verse #2, Welcome, Throne Verse #1 and Time & Space from the series Inside (2014) Morocco, C-Print, 100 x 100 cm
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Clockwise: The Veil #2, the Veil #6, the Veil #5 and the Opening from the series Inside (2014) Morocco, C-Print, 100 x 100 cm
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Clockwise: the Prayer #2, the Prayer #4, the Prayer #1 and the Veil #2 from the series Inside (2014) Morocco, C-Print, 100 x 100 cm
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PROFILE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Chama Tahiri, art director and journalist.
Deborah Benzaquen: Sweet Surrender A coming of age visual story from Casablanca When Casablanca born and raised photographer
clean and minimalistic. Except for a few yellow
Deborah Benzaquen was commissioned in 2017 for
flowers, the artist surrendered her usual favorite
an exhibition on Eternal Youth, she chose to focus
props, gathered over the years when she was a
on adolescence as a timeless research subject.
movie set decorator, and only played with the natural
She had known Mia, one of her models, since she
highlights and shadows of a charming old-fashioned
was a little kid. At only 17, the pixie haircut girl
Casablanca apartment.
had always been a brilliant and creative child but also very bold and opinionated, maybe a bit of
The result is equally raw as it is soft, and conveys a
a rebel in her own way. She introduced the artist
feeling of blissful nostalgia. The unedited pictures
to her high school friends with whom she formed
reveal the marks of adolescence, but the teenagers
a very tight and free-spirited group. They talked
gracefully turned their vulnerability into a statement
about identity, gender, and sexuality, and what all
of power. Their striking confidence and carefree
that could mean in a such a transitional phase of
spirit clashes with their young age, and this constant
a young adult’s life. The chemistry was so obvious
duality resonates with the underlying question of
that they quickly moved from a Whatsapp group
gender, as well as the tension between the threat
chat to a shooting set.
of the outside world, and the safety of the room in which these teenagers can be whoever they want,
In her creative process, Benzaquen never plans
sheltered from peer pressure and social expectations.
too far ahead—she goes with her guts and heart,
The unedited pictures reveal the marks of adolescence, but the teenagers gracefully turned their vulnerability into a statement of power
and follows her intuition, thus creating the most
The intimacy of the photos is enhanced by the
candid and authentic collaborations. The artist
subtle suggestion of modesty, and the context of
indeed refers to her work as “theirs” since all of
the images given the controversy around sexual
But the true strength of the series might be its
her shoots are a form of dialogue with her (mostly)
orientation in Morocco. Benzaquen is very aware
universality. Stripped down from any context those
real-life, non-professional models. They usually
of this, and is careful to never put her models in
are just regular teenagers, with their dreams, flaws,
take the time to get to know each other, and their
compromising situations. Speaking of her models
secrets and dyed hair. Teenagers who refuse to be
aesthetic universes eventually blend to perfection.
for Sweet Surrender, the artist says ‘They were such
labeled. Masculine and feminine, young and mature,
But it is most likely Benzaquen’s way of creating a
quiet forces, which was really reassuring since I’m
assertive and fragile: they are all of that and more.
form of intimacy even before setting her frame,
the opposite.’ Being very shy and self-conscious
They are works in progress, shaping their identity
doubled with her great listening skills, that create
herself—a form of humbleness in disguise—
as they grow–free and fabulous. For Benzaquen, a
that unique bond of trust, and allow her to tell the
Benzaquen never forces a pose and hardly ever
picture is worth a thousand words, and this series
most sensitive visual stories.
directs her subjects. On the contrary, she thrives
tells one of the oldest coming of age stories ever
on challenges and limitations, which in this series
told—a story of letting go and choosing love,
Here, the more Benzaquen got to know Mia’s group,
has resulted in something pure and more subtly
beyond prejudices. A ‘sweet surrender’ to beauty
the more she knew she wanted her pictures to be
suggestive.
and sensuality, in all of their raw forms.
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Adam, Mia, Marina et GrĂŠcia from the series Sweet Surrender (2017)
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Kenza, Ellis, Mia and Marina Mia and Ellis from the series Sweet Surrender (2017)
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Ellis and Mia from the series Sweet Surrender (2017)
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PROFILE Images - Courtesy of artist. Writer - Emma Warburton, arts writer and researcher.
Hind Mezaina: Photo Diaries Archiving personal and collective memory Hind Mezaina, an artist based in Dubai, while she
The month includes images from both Dubai and
an upward momentum to its structure or design. A
is fundamentally a photographer, she also engages
Bologna, Italy tracing the artist’s travels. The result is
number of images in the August diary depict Dubai’s
with video and collage, while being an enthusiastic
a particularly beautiful series. The images are warm,
modern architecture, particularly buildings that are
proponent of the local and international art scene.
as if tinted in yellow. The degree of contrast is slightly
impressive in their vertical scale. The buildings Mezaina
Her interest in art and culture led her to create a
exaggerated, and the highlighted areas are subtly
chooses for this series have angular detaIling that is
blog four years ago that she named The Culturist.
over-exposed. The aesthetic could be described as
both ornate and understated at the same time. The
She actively maintains The Culturist to this day, and
sunbathed, dry and arid, and it accompanies the
scenes Mezaina captures appear engulfed in a pale
it can be considered an extension of her art practise.
summer scenes very effectively. The grainy quality
yellow haze. It invokes memories of what it feels like
adds a layer of nostalgia to the images, suggesting
to be in a city on a dangerously hot day. There’s an
There is a strong sense of conceptual and aesthetic
a time past. With this particular collection, Mezaina
eerie and ghost-like element to these pictures, in part
continuity in Mezaina’s photography work. She works
demonstrates a gift for framing and composition, as
due to their foggy quality and heightened by the fact
exclusively in analog film, and thus her photographs
well as a unique ability to beautify the banal.
that the images are totally devoid of people. This film
share a distinctly vintage and romanticized quality.
and camera combination lends itself well to conveying
From a general perspective her projects explore
For the July chapter, Mezaina again used the Contax
the concept of the desert, as it aesthetically imitates
themes of collective and personal memory, nostalgia,
T2 camera, but this time with Kodak Ektar 100 film.
the atmospheric traits of the landscape—dry, dusty,
the representation of Dubai and the UAE in the media,
The July diary includes photos from Bologna (July
hazy and hot.
and the relationship between landscape and personal
1), Karlovy Vary (July 2-7), Antwerp (July 8-13) and
identity. Mezaina observes, researches, collects and
Dubai (July 14-31) The images are vivid in colour and
Mezaina is an intuitive and versatile photographer,
preserves visual artefacts and memories, not disimilar
highly saturated. In contrast to the previous month’s
and her work says a lot about her. The word ‘diary’
to that of an archivist or archaeologist of sorts.
series, these photos are acutely focused and sharp,
suggests a personal, if not intimate reflection, and
due to the high level of contrast and the ultra fine
this project certainly lives up to those expectations by
Mezaina’s project Photo Diaries (2019) evolved from
grain of the film. Mezaina selects her subject matter
illuminating the artist’s aesthetic tastes, cultural interests,
an initial effort to make use of her neglected cameras
well for this series, choosing to capture architecture
and uninhibited artistic eye. Indeed, Photo Diaries is
and undeveloped film. Selecting a different camera
and indigenous plants that lend themselves to the
a visual autobiography—a record in pictures of an
and film for each monthly series, the artist has shot a
stark, hard-edged rendering that is achieved with
artist’s daily life. But there is also something universal
photo a day for every month of this year, until present.
this particular film. The entire series is cold in color,
about Mezaina’s photographs. They evoke a relatable
Photo Diaries is an autobiographical archive that is
as if tinted in pale blue or seafoam green. Combined
wistfulness and sentimentality in the viewer, and draw
both observational and personal. The images narrate
with a white-washed effect (a consequence of
personal memories to the surface. In a sense, Mezaina
the artist’s movements and daily experiences, while
over exposure), this produces an eerie quality that
does not only capture her own memories in pictures,
also functioning to capture and record details of the
complements the still, austere scenes.
but the memories of us all. And this, ultimately, makes
landscape that surrounds her.
for a very satisfying viewing experience. The month of August is the only month that Mezaina
For the month of June, Mezaina paired the Contax
shot entirely in portrait format. The artist effectively
Photo Diaries is an ongoing project. The entire series
T2 camera with Kodak ColorPlus 200 35mm film.
chooses subject matter that is elongated, or has
can be viewed on www.theculturist.com
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August 2019 from the series Photo Diaries
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August 2019 from the series Photo Diaries
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July 2019 from the series Photo Diaries
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June 2019 from the series Photo Diaries
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PROFILE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Emma Warburton, arts writer and researcher.
Myriam Boulos: Sunday Companionship, celebration and sisterhood Based in Beirut, Lebanese photographer Myriam
Under the Kafala system, a domestic worker cannot
Boulos uses her camera to understand her city,
leave their job, resign or leave the country without
its people and her place among them. Her work
their sponsor’s permission. Questioning the terms
in photography typically engages with recurrent
of their contract means risking deportation. As a
themes and subject matter. Through her images,
result, the Kafala system perpetuates situations
Boulos reveals her continuous interest in the
of abuse and exploitation. Boulos’s series Sunday
representation of women and minorities, and the
seeks to liberate these women from the labeling and
experience of subcultures existing on the social
oppression imposed on them by the Kafala system,
fringes of Beirut. The artist also tends to work in
by capturing them in the few hours of freedom they
a photographic approach that is distinctive and
enjoy each week - those brief yet precious moments
aesthetically bold.
in which they can be themselves.
These motifs are exemplified in the series Sunday,
Domestic workers are typically expected to be seen
which follows domestic workers from Ethiopia,
and not heard. They are the figures that tiptoe in the
Madagascar, Sri-Lanka and the Philippines on
background as they tend to the lives of the ‘more
their only day off, Sunday. For a few hours on a
elite.’ But in the making of Sunday, Boulos draws
Sunday, the presence of these domestic workers in
our attention to these women and acknowledges
Beirut is visible, and in certain neighbourhoods the
them as the focus of her artistic vision.
atmosphere is briefly but noticeably changed. “I
I always saw them as representatives of both social and political struggles. I wanted to photograph them outside their work, as women, and not as ‘cleaning women’
always saw them as representatives of both social
The images composing Sunday are bold and
and political struggles. I wanted to photograph them
colourful. Boulos works in a distinct photographic
outside their work, as women, and not as ‘cleaning
style combining high contrast, sharp focus and
women’ as they are so often referred to by my fellow
dynamic compositions. The aesthetic emphasizes
citizens in Lebanon.”
the joyous nature of these weekly meetings
documents one day in the lives of foreign domestic
between workers. Scenes of women dancing,
workers employed under Beirut’s Kafala system, and
For the creation of Sunday, Boulos takes an interest
worshipping and gathering outside are rendered
therefore by default the series comments on the
in these women as they enjoy their free time, and
in vibrant colours, giving the images a playful and
injustice, discrimination and exploitation that remain
documents the places they go to escape the
positive quality, and highlighting the values of
prevalent in the city’s social and political structures
everyday reality of the Kafala system.
companionship, celebration and sisterhood that
today. But more accurately Sunday is a series about
are at the core of each worker’s Sunday experience.
community and triumph over oppression. Gathering
‘Kafala’ means sponsor in Arabic. It is a system used
in laughter and celebration, the women of Sunday
in the Gulf region and the Middle East to manage
Boulos often uses her camera as a tool for engaging
are captured by Boulos in moments of bliss and
migrant workers. Every migrant domestic worker is
in social and political dialogue, a common thread
belonging as they rise above their circumstances
required to have a sponsor to legally live in Lebanon.
found throughout her photography practise. Sunday
and forget, for a day, that they are anything but free.
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Sunday Lebanon, AinAar from the series Kafala system (2015)
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Sunday Lebanon, Harissa from the series Kafala system (2015)
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Sunday Lebanon, Beirut, Sioufi from the series Kafala system (2015)
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Sunday Lebanon, Beirut, Monot from the series Kafala system (2015)
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Clockwise: Sunday Lebanon, Beirut, Karm ElZeitoun Sunday Lebanon, Beirut Sunday Lebanon, Beirut, Antelias Sunday Lebanon, Beirut, Hamra From the series Kafala system (2015)
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PROFILE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Interviewer - Emma Warburton, arts writer and researcher.
Randa Mirza: Beirutopia Post-war Beirut is a city for sale Following the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1990,
photos depicting construction sites. To be ‘under
and its surroundings to create the most convincing of
Beirut endeavoured to reclaim itself and restore its
construction’ implies a state of incompletion. A site
illusions. These billboards metaphorically mirror the
reputation as a glamorous, sophisticated and modern
under construction is one that has abandoned its
city of Beirut itself. Like Beirut, they offer a vision for
destination. The city pined after the now elusive
previous identity, but has not yet arrived at its future
the future that will never be truly realised and they
memories of itself as a romantic cultural hub, but still
one. It is, perhaps, in a state of non-existence. For
manipulate the community with promises they can
it embarked on the task to reconstitute its identity
Mirza, Beirut is in a continuous cycle of reinventing its
never fully keep. Essentially, these advertisements
under the fading pretence that it was once praised
identity without ever actualizing it. Therefore the city is
are optical illusions, meant to deceive. But with
‘the Paris of the Middle East.’ Fast-forward to the
in a perpetually dissatisfied—it is under construction,
astute framing and compositional techniques, Mirza
present day, and this sentiment has materialized in a
and therefore unfulfilled. There is a tone to Mirza’s
succeeds in poking holes in the pastiche, and revealing
city-wide campaign for constant urban development
words that suggest these developments are excessive
the dishonesty at the crux of Beirut’s redevelopment
and renewal. Construction sites and billboards populate
—so excessive and so rapid that even locals cannot
narrative.
the landscape, and testify to a capitalist attitude that
keep track of their city’s changing form. This idea of
has rendered Beirut a product, rather than a site with
dissatisfaction links well with materialism and capitalism,
Mirza describes Beirutopia as a series of ‘two-
unique historical and cultural value that should be
both of which operate under the generalized concept
dimensional dioramas.’ That is to say that each photo
preserved and protected.
that more is never enough. There is a sense, too, that
is constituted of a three dimensional front plane (often a
the city-wide construction is not actually serving the
physical object or person that is present in the space as
Randa Mirza’s photographic series Beirutopia (2011 -
people of Beirut. Instead, it serves Capitalism. As Mirza
Mirza photographs it), a two dimensional second plane
ongoing) captures details of Beirut’s urban landscape
describes, when one structure is erected, another is
(the hyper-realistic billboards that create an illusion
to illustrate a progressive ideological shift she has
dismantled, and in this manic process of reinventing
of reality, a virtual reality) and a third, hidden plane
observed in the city, whereby the social and cultural
the city, the needs and expectations of the very people
that is behind the billboard (actual reality, concealed).
values that defined Beirut prior to the Lebanese war
who depend on it are ignored for the allure of profit
These planes also function to metaphorically trace
have been replaced with the values of capitalism
and prestige. The ‘new’ Beirut, as Mirza suggests, is a
time, whereby the front plane is the actual present,
and materialism. The idea for the series came to
foreign place. Perhaps this is because the new Beirut
the second plane is the pretend present (or projected
the artist during a peak in the construction boom.
does not take form with people in mind. Instead it
future), and the third is the disheartened past.
Mirza’s observations of Beirut at that time, and her
serves the purpose of generating profit, and leaves
uncomfortable and alienated response to her native
little room for sentimentality, nostalgia or even modest
Beirutopia portrays the city as a product. It is simply
city, are what compelled her to begin photographing
practicality.
a platform for advertising space—space that can be
the landscape. She states:
bought, leased, or consumed in some form or another. Beirutopia depicts construction sites that Mirza has
The series emphasizes the notion that preserving profit
“Today the city is still a huge construction site. I watched
encountered throughout the city. These sites are
is more important than preserving culture, society and
it changing rapidly… it became unrecognizable to the
photographed just as they are; they are carefully
history. All over the world, the destruction of cultural
people living in it. There were new buildings appearing
framed, but not staged. Promoting these projects are
heritage is being justified by the concept of renewal
but also there were old buildings disappearing. The
large billboards that advertise a forward-thinking vision
and modernity. And what can we do, except mourn
new promise for Beirut did not appeal to me. It was
for the space. They are hyper-realistic, computerized
our losses in disbelief, and tell ourselves that there is
profit oriented.” In essence, Beirutopia is a series of
renderings that simulate the future building, its interior,
a time for everything to disappear..
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A charming residential building from the series Beirutopia (2011 - ongoing) 80 x 110 cm
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The selective residence from the series Beirutopia (2011 - ongoing) 80 x 110 cm A new standard of luxury and services from the series Beirutopia (2011 - on oing) 80 x 110 cm
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Real properties from the series Beirutopia (2011 - ongoing) 80 x 110 cm
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Beirut is back and it’s beautiful from the series Beirutopia (2011 - ongoing) 80 x 110 cm
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Clockwise: Beirut revit son age, something to look up to, a dream you call home and Reviving the soul of beirut from the series Beirutopia (2011 - ongoing) 80 x 110 cm
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NEW MEDIA Images - Courtesy of artist. Writer - Emma Warburton, arts writer and researcher.
Meriem Bennani: Engineering Environments Discussions on immersive video installations Emma Rae Warburton: How do you describe
for different production companies, I started
yourself as an artist?
experimenting with videos I would casually take
Meriem Bennani: I make video installations, but I
on my phone, or videos from the internet on current
don’t usually define myself. In the past couple of
events or famous music videos. As I played these
years, I’ve focused on a practice that starts with a
videos, I would manipulate them. I then realised that
documentary—like interest in a subject or person.
they had power. Video is very powerful, and when
And then I film the subject or people in question.
you modify a famous video, the viewer questions
Which then turns into a video of around 30 minutes.
what it is, which isn’t real anymore. I then realised the
That’s been kind of a consistent pattern. But the
potential of storytelling with video, and decided to
video is not documentary; the second I start editing
explore that. Before that I mostly worked in drawing
it, it becomes something else. And then it’s usually
and animation.
presented in a multi-channel and multi-screen installation.
EW: Humour and comedy are integral to your practice. Can you talk about the importance of
Video is very powerful, and when you modify a famous video, or when you modify a video and the viewer questions what is and isn’t real anymore, it has a lot of potential
EW: If the starting point is a subject or a person,
humour in your videos?
what are you trying to arrive at? It there a common
MB: The humour is mostly intentional, but sometimes
goal for your videos?
it’s not. It’s just how I naturally approach subjects.
MB: I’ve been living in New York for ten years. I do
MB: I’m really not goal oriented. I start intuitively,
I think we all have a default mode of expression. If
travel a lot and spend a lot of time in Morocco. It’s
being attracted to someone or something that I
a subject interests me, I naturally approach it with
a luxury, but if you can have access to two centres
come in contact with. Then I spontaneously film
humour It’s also a way of warming up to more serious
instead of one, I think that’s very helpful. Wherever
that person or thing. Through editing, I then come
subjects in my work. The way the audience interacts
you stay for a long time ends up feeling like a centre
closer to understanding what it is about the person
with humour mirrors my own interests in humour.
which I think is very dangerous. When I spend too
or thing that interests me. Usually, my work arrives
This makes the work more accessible to people, as
much time in New York, it is harder to get out of the
at questions rather than conclusions and is about
well as for me. I am very serious about the subjects
bubble of being there, which is why I love going
universal concepts.
that I approach. Although there is humour, I’m not
back and forth.
interested in being sarcastic or ironic. I try to have EW: What is the role of photography in your work?
a very full-hearted approach to things. I don’t use
I think my work is very much about of someone that
MB: I take photos every day. I take a lot of photos.
humour to create distance. I use it to be playful. My
belongs to a diaspora - someone who misses where
But only with my phone. So, I don’t really think about
work is pretty optimistic and positive, which also is
they’re from. But I also grew up in Morocco. I wasn’t
the medium.
not planned.
born away. So my work moves between this feeling
EW: Where did your interest in video as a medium
EW: Where do you predominantly live right now?
made from the inside, from within Morocco. I am
begin?
Does your location affect your creativity including
very interested in the idea of having two gazes at
MB: When learning how to do special effects
your resulting work?
once as well as the space in between them.
of being away from where I’m from, but also as being
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Installation view: Party on the CAPS at the Biennale of Moving Image (2018) Image courtesy of the artist and BIM 2018. Photo by Mathilda Olmi.
EW: What is the role of the internet and technology
EW: This brings me to my next question, how
EW: Would you describe your work as political?
in your work, conceptually and practically?
do you feel about technology and its current
MB: Everything is political. It’s impossible for
MB: Those elements are often talked about, but I
relationship to art and creativity in general?
anyone to not be political. My presence in the
don’t think they’re important at all actually. I think
MB: It’s really hard to respond in general, because
world is inherently political. I don’t make work
they’re a part of my life the way they’re a part of my
there are so many types of technologies, and
always with the intent of being political, or
mother’s life. Maybe I’m from a younger generation,
there are so many artists that use technologies
analytical in a political way, or having it be political
so it makes more of an appearance in my work than
for different reasons. I’m interested in technology
commentary. But I do make work knowing that
it does for someone from an earlier generation.
just being there to serve an idea. So the idea
by default, whatever I’m talking about will have
And it makes less of an appearance in my work
of technology as a tool. But for one to simply
political content within it, and wherever I show it
than for someone ten years younger than me. But
place their work in the context of new media and
will determine how that political content resonates.
I’m not interested in situating them as central
technology, I find that very boring. For example.
So it’s not that I decide to make political work, it’s
subjects. They’re just mediums. The internet and
when VR is used in a way that doesn’t justify its
more that once I’m interested in something, I have
technology are there, and they give me access to
presence, it just sort of takes over because people
to sit down and determine the political charge of
different information and images from all over the
are still very impressed by VR, leaving no room
it, and really think about it.
world. But I’m not comfortable describing my work
for the work. And I think that sometimes when
as something that is of the internet, or post internet.
artists use computers or technological devices
EW: What are some of the core concepts that
I find those terms to be very limiting because they
in their work, they’re put into a category. But it’s
you engage with in your videos? Are there any
just describe the reality we are living in today.
only a medium.
repeated motifs?
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Clockwise: Stills From Video, Still from Meriem Bennani, Ghariba (2017) Installation view, Ghariba, Art Dubai (2017) Photo by Photo Solutions.
MB: I film a lot of women in my family. I’m also
MB: Yes, I would say so.
me. And I had made a whole project around her.
very much attracted to music and dance. But those
EW: Right now, what’s the most essential part of your
So I had to work with two other women, and I had
themes, without the specifics, are very general.
process?
no idea what to expect. I had four days with them.
MB: There are multiple important turning points.
And the footage I have is nothing that I could have
EW: Do you know why you revisit the women in your
The first one is the research phase, when I come up
planned. When it comes to the installation, I have
family as subjects in your work?
with a new idea. Then, during shooting, so many
more control since it starts with 3D shapes that I
MB: Well, I sometimes ask people to role play. And
things start happening. A very crucial moment is the
draw on my computer, that a fabricator then tries to
I happen to have a mother, aunt and some of my
editing, because I don’t make the story when I shoot.
replicate. If I wasn’t working with video and installation
mother’s cousins that are really great at improv.
So the story comes together when I edit. And then
the way that I am now, I think I would write fiction
They are identities themselves but with a bit role
the planning of the installation elements becomes
films. I’m interested in the process of projecting an
to play, and they do it really beautifully. I work with
very important .
idea onto a subject, and then having it surprise me.
female characters that already as a child felt like
The way a person might talk about something, I
characters - their personalities and their presence
EW: From the initial research phase, to the final stage
couldn’t even write that. I couldn’t even make it up,
was always so fabulous and political that they were
when an idea is materialized in an installation, is there
because it comes from a totally different person with
already characters.
a sense of great departure?
a different life. And through that exchange I am taken
MB: Absolutely. Completely. I once found a musician,
out of the things I know. And it’s always different. If it
EW: Is your own mother a real force and strong
or performer I wanted to work with. Initially I was
wasn’t different I think it would be boring, or it would
personality?
interested in a musical genre. She kind of flaked on
mean that I wasn’t open to people.
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Installation view, Siham & Hafida at The Kitchen (2017) Photo by Jason Mandella
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SERIES Artist - From Palestine, lives and works in Gaza. Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Adapted from texts by Elisa Routa and Emma Warburton
Rehaf Batniji: Gaza, bright and beautiful The streets have the power to represent the culture of a country, both the bright and dark sides, and photography has the power to do the same. Merging the two together to form a conceptual framework, Rehaf Batniji has developed a unique and personal language in the genre of street photography. Using parks, plazas, sidewalks, beaches and public spaces as her medium, the artist illustrates in pictures her most intimate vision of Gaza. A native Palestinian, Batniji has witnessed three major conflicts. In 2008, during the first, she documented her life with a cellphone. While a second massive conflict peaked in 2012, she captured scenes through the window of her studio with a digital camera. Finally, in 2014, she documented the war during occasional cease-fires. With refreshing positivity, Batniji’s photographs reject this brutal imagery, and instead use color as a tool for resistance to excavate the vibrant aspects of life in Gaza. Her photos observe the landscape, and the beauty found in its relationship to the people populating it. Using a traditional approach to documentary photography, it is implied that Batniji’s work is imbued with social purpose. Rehaf Batniji is a self-taught photographer based in Gaza.
Al Batniji is a self-taught photographer based in Gaza City, Palestine. She currently
and identities of the people who dwell in her city. Batniji dreams of establishing
works for the Nawa for Culture and Arts Association as a public relations officer,
a photography school for talented and passionate aspiring photographers - an
where she is responsible for the photographic and video documentation of all events,
outlet for students to freely express themselves in a region experiencing perpetual
activities and projects. She also provides training to adolescents learning the art of
political, social and cultural decline. To date, she has produced two significant photo-
photography. In her own practise, Al Batniji is interested in street photography, as
based projects, the first entitled Road Works, and the second Al-Khidr Monastery
she feels the street is a portal by which she learns about lives, cultures, communities
Restoration Photography Book. @ rehaf_batniji
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Untitled, Palestine (2017)
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Untitled, Palestine (2017)
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Untitled, Palestine (2017) Corners from the series Things Bigger than the State of Isreal (2012) Photo Rag paper, 40 x 60 cm
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Clockwise: Untitled, gaza strip (2019) Adjacent, from the series Street is Life (2018) Photo Rag paper, 40 x 60 cm Untitled (2018) Untitled, gaza strip (2018)
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Untitled, palestine (2017)
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SERIES Artist - From Egypt, lives and works in Cairo. Images - Courtesy of the artist.
Eslam Abd El Salam: You Know Where to Find Me Walking serves as a guide for me to recognize my surroundings. It opens doors of knowledge for me. I know more about myself through the eyes of the souls I encounter, the places I get a sense of, and even through the lens of my film camera, which I consider to be a dear friend. How memories can haunt us and contribute daily and dearly to our sense of self; the lasting effect of family and childhood; and the past, present and the immediate now— there are notions that intrigue me. Lately, I have been exploring the complementary feelings of presence and familiarity in concurrent projects. I continue to realise how certain feelings live within us and take many different shapes and forms as we get older. I aim to experiment with sound and moving image as extensions to my photography practise, as I believe it could order to deepen the emotional and visceral experience of the viewer when engaging with my work.
El Salam is a self-taught photographer and visual artist whose work explores the
internationally in Latvia, Finland, London, Saudi Arabia and in his hometown, Cairo.
relationship between the personal and the universal—mainly through the use of
Recently, he was selected as artist-in-residence at The Curfew Tower Residency in
analogue photography and mixed media. The artist’s work has been exhibited
Cushendall, Northern Ireland. @ eslamabdelsalam
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Bare with me from the series Untitled (2019) Analogue, c41 process, 221.6 x 336.0 cm
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Clockwise: Right where you left, The sun is at your door, Soliloquize and Away you go from the series You Know Where To Find Me (2019) Analogue photography, c41 developing
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Table for one from the series Untitled (2019) Analogue, c41 process, 221.6 x 336.0 cm
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SERIES Artist - From Morocco, lives and works in Casablanca. Images - Courtesy of the artist.
Yoriyas: Casablanca, Not the Movie Casablanca, Not the Movie is a long-term project, started in 2014. It is both a love letter to the city I call home and an effort to authentically represent Morocco’s famous city for those whose perception of it is limited to guide-book snapshots, film depictions or Orientalist fantasies. The title of the project references the classic 1942 movie, Casablanca, which was never filmed in the city, but rather in a Hollywood studio. It approaches the human in a complex and contrasting environment: Diverse cultures and ethnicities, traditions, religions, urban development and post-colonial influences all seem in opposition to one another. Limited prospects force people to interact creatively in their urban environment, but also create challenges for photographers who seek to document the city. This series is an insider’s glimpse into the vibrant reality of Morocco’s biggest city from the perspective of a Moroccan, who was born, grew up and still lives there.
Yoriyas Yassine Alaoui Ismaili is a Casablanca-based photographer and performance
Hiip-hop culture, too, has been a great influence, as by the age of 16 Yoriyas was a
artist. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Nat-GEO, and Vogue.
practised breakdancer. In 2013, a serious knee injury halted his pursuit of a career
Awards include the Award Les Amis de l’Institut du Monde Arabe for Contemporary
in professional dance, and Yoriyas began experimenting with photography as a
Arab Creation and the 7th Contemporary African Photography Prize. Yoriyas started
means of self-expression. He has since exhibited internationally, participating with
playing chess when he was five years old, which triggered an interest in mathematics.
HERMÈS Foundation Paris, and 1-54 African Art-Fair Marrakech. @ yoriyas
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From the series Casablanca, Not the Movie (2014 - Present)
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From the series Casablanca, Not the Movie (2014 - Present)
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From the series Casablanca, Not the Movie (2014 - Present)
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SERIES Artist - From Yemen, lives and works in Dubai. Images - Courtesy of the artist.
Ziryab Alghabri: Tintype Before exploring photography I worked as a graphic designer. I initially picked up a camera under the impression it would assist in my designs, but I soon fell in love with photography as an artistic practise. I also began experimenting with filmmaking. Through photography I accessed a new dimension of expression, and felt more connected to people and nature. Intrigued by the numerous and obscure photographic methods used by artists, I learned about time-lapse, infrared and wet plate “tintype” technologies. Today, my practise is very much informed by the concept of energy transference. My most affecting images are captured when I feel and connect with the emotion or energy of the person or landscape I am shooting. In particular, I am interested in personal narratives and natural phenomena. I am motivated by the concept of capturing the elusive ‘moment’ of magical alignment between artist and subject. I believe that an image has the power to channel the energy of its subject, and that is the relationship I seek with the people and places I shoot. I am interested in the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of photography as a medium, since a beautiful photograph could be technical and calculated, or intuitive and unplanned. Photography engages with everything. I am always striving to convey meaning in my photographs, and achieve a photographic ideal that is never fixed, but always changing.
Alghabri is a Yemeni artist currently based in Dubai. A self-taught photographer,
film The Gift Maker was awarded first place in the British Council’s ZOOM
he previously held a career in graphic design but transitioned to photography
Competition in 2010. Along with his brother Ameen, Alghabri is co-founder
and filmmaking after experimenting with his brother’s camera. Currently,
and co-owner of Gabreez Productions, a film and media production company
Alghabri specializes in time-lapse photography and cinematography. His short
based in Yemen. @ eslamabdelsalam_
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Wet plate, Tintype
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Wet plate, Tintype
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Wet plate, Tintype
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September 16–December 7, 2019 The Art Gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island, United Arab Emirates nyuad-artgallery.org | @nyuadartgallery 162 tribe
