With so much happening in the coming months, don’t forget to head out to Manarat Al Saadiyat to see their latest offering, the photography exhibition entitled Emirati Expressions, going on now until 28th January. Under the artistic direction of renowned photographer Stephen Shore, the exhibition showcases the work of ten emerging Emirati artists.
The show also includes work by Shore, photographer JR – known for his larger than life photographic installations in public places and the creative mind behind the Photo Booth project – and Tarek Al Ghoussein, a photographer and professor at the American University of Sharjah whose work has been exhibited extensively and collected by museums all over the world.
When we arrived, we took the time to watch the introductory video before exploring the exhibit, and we’re glad we did. Each artist explains the philosophy behind his or her project and you learn quickly that these are budding artistic photographers who are still learning the medium.
Though they’re not professionals, we loved the work of Afra Al Dhaheri who allowed nature to be the artist while she documented the results and Salem Al Qassimi’s exhibit which requires visitors to look both east and west. Our favourites of the whole show may have been the intriguing self-portraits of Afra Bin Dhaher, and we felt the isolation Lateefa Bint Maktoum captures in her ‘visual time capsule’.
Through their images, we saw the quirky and touching perspective of Ammar Mohammed Al Attar’s Visual Diary Series as the past keeps pace with the present and the striking oversized images of Maitha Demithan focusing on the contrast between a sheikh’s strength and the delicate threads that hold it together.
We were particularly impressed by Tarek Al-Ghoussein’s transformation of a landscape in his series (In) Beautification and found the ambiguous, experimental samples from Hadeyeh Badri to be thought provoking. Cultural contrast in the work of Alia Al Shamsi and Fatima Al Yousef’s images preserving her childhood home fallen into disrepair that has since been razed to the ground are both worth a look, as is the glimpse we got inside the world of Mira Al Qaseer.
There are free guided tours for individuals and groups led by a professional guide and available in several languages, so there’s no reason for you to miss it. Want to make a night of it? Stay for dinner at Fanr restaurant, and be sure to check out the schedule of workshops and other supporting events for adults and kids. For more information, call 02 657 5800 or visit www.artsabudhabi.ae.
Laura Fulton
