Slidefest IX - 30th January 2013

© Farah Al-Qasimi

The ninth edition of Slidefest organised by Gulf Photo Plus is back this month, on Wednesday, 30th January at 7pm in the Knowledge Village Auditorium. 

Slidefest started in 2009 and it's one of the few events in Dubai that is consistently good and showcases some very interesting photography projects.

If you are new to Slidefest, it's an event organised by Gulf Photo Plus where photographers present their personal projects, from documentary projects to fine art, still-life and landscape images. The event also aims to bring photographers (amateurs and pros) and people from the photography community together where people can network, connect and share stories.

Here's the line up for this month: 

Ammar Al Attar

© Ammar Al Attar

Ammar Al Attar will present his "Prayer Rooms" series which he photographed across the UAE (and feaured on this blog a few months ago).  

These informal worship areas are ubiquitous, providing Muslims a place for their five prayers a day regardless of their location. 

The decorative elements of these interiors are incredibly humble, in line with Islamic architectural tenets and in contrast to the exterior opulence of the UAE’s architectural development. Serenity and stillness are common elements in these makeshift rooms, transforming their spatial reality as industrial caravans or rooms in malls and business centers, to that of spiritual sanctuaries.

Catalin Marin

© Catalin Marin

Back from a recent trip to the Antarctica, Catalin Marin is another photographer who has been featured on this blog before. He goes on the most amazing trips and for this edition of Slidefest he will be sharing photos from his recent trip to the Antartica. How cool is that?

Catalin Marin is a an award-winning commercial and corporate photographer based in Dubai, specializing in architectural and interior photography as well as corporate and environmental portraits. His blog, Momentary Awe has won the 2011 best photoblog for Asia and Oceania at the Photoblog Awards.

Farah Al-Qasimi

© Farah Al-Qasimi

Farah Al-Qasimi will be presenting a series titled White Pearl, Black Gold, images that were shot in the UAE, capturing private spaces and intimate interiors almost completely void of people, yet telling a story of the inhabitants within each space.  

Farah Al-Qassimi completed a BA in Fine Art at Yale University, where she started studying contemporary music and electronic composition, but eventually felt a pull towards the visual arts. Farah currently lives in Abu Dhabi, where she works at New York University Abu Dhabi. 

Farah Nosh

© Farah Nosh

Farah Nosh is an award-winning photographer who has worked on assignment in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, the West Bank, Gaza, and Egypt. Her long-term projects have focused primarily on the war’s impact on Iraqis, and the last speakers of highly threatened languages. Farah will be showcasing a project from her time in Iraq.

Nour Abuhayeh

© Nour Abu Hayeh

Nour Abuhayeh will be presenting a series of self portraits which reminds me of work by Tarek Al-Ghoussein. Her images aim to embody conflicted emotions and intangible situations, a attempt to showcase a glimpse of the complicated human psychology and the cultural restrains in the life of an Arab woman.  

RJ Mickelson

© RJ Mickelson

RJ Mickelson is the Photo Editor at The National newspaper. He will be presenting a book project he is working on which includes some personal fine art and documentary work. More subtle than his photojournalistic work, Mickelson's work is rooted in both form and content where the story’s relevance is proportionate to the composition, color and light of its photographs.

Sean Blake 

© Sean Blake

Sean Blake is working on a photography series called The Untitled Chair Project which is about people within varying environments with the common element of one ordinary chair. The aim of this project is to raise awareness about the dire need for bone marrow donors. The final result is a collection of portraits on Polaroids taken with an inexpensive plastic Diana camera equipped with an instant back and a reclaimed, re-purposed ribbon procured from the trash bin as camera strap.  

Yumna Al-Arashi 

© Yumna Al-Arashi

Yumna Al-Arashi was recently named an Up and Coming Female Journalist by Forbes Magazine, her medium of photography aims to break barriers and captures beauty to document raw human experiences. She will be presenting her personal experience traveling and taking photographs throughout Yemen, a journey she felt was as much a learning experience for her as it is for those she shares her photographs with.

Beginning in 2008, her visual documentation of Yemen has been a constant work in progress, uncovering the many curious family roots and discovering the ever-evolving culture of a poverty-stricken country. 

Event details:
Date: Wednesday, 30th January at 7pm 
Location: Knowledge Village Auditorium, Dubai (location map)
Free entry

www.gulfphotoplus.com

Slidefest VI - 8th February 2012

© Nikolai Kozak

Slidefest is back after a long break with its 6th edition on Wednesday 8th February with a line up of interesting photographers. If you are not familiar with Slidefest, it's an event organised by Gulf Photo Plus where photographers present their personal projects in a variety of genres that can range from documentary projects to fine art, still-life and landscape images. The event also aims to bring photographers (amateurs and pros) and people from the photography community together where people can network, connect and share stories.

Here's the line up of presenters:

Ammar Al Attar

© Ammar Al Attar  Shooting in his home country here in the UAE, Al Attar's series titled Spare Parts focuses on scrap yards full of countless automotive parts.  Stacked skye high, the abundance of items speaks of the exaggerated the auto industry and also the people who work within it.  www.ammaralattar.com

Arezu

© Arezu

Arezu's work, titled Trespassing is rooted in concepts of obscurity and ambiguity.  Vague portraits represent a desire to be, but not seeking to be seen or to be paid attention to.  The crow in her work expresses her fascination with the freedom of flying and anonymity. www.arezuk.com

Mansoor Bhatti and Noush Like Sploosh

© Mansoor Bhatti and Noush Like Sploosh

Presenting a collaborative project, Bhatti and Noush will describe their photographic approach to the stop motion video for song 3 Act Circus by Noush Like Sploosh.  The music video which was released in March of last year was accepted later that year into the Gulf Film Festival.  www.facebook.com/noushlikesploosh

Lee Hoagland
© Lee Hoagland

This body of work examines the life of undocumented immigrants living in an abandoned factory in Paris. Immigration is a massive issue in Europe, and particularly in France, where many believe it has reached a stalemate. www.leehoagland.com



Nikolai Kozak

© Nikolai Kozak

Kozak will present a a study of Umm Al Quwain titled Forgotten. In black and white, the photos depict daily life in the emirate introducing fundamental social forces at play on a local, and daily, level.   Recent founder of NYUAD Photographic Society. www.nikolaikozak.com

Shahid Mohammed

© Shahid Mohammed

Where the majority us find ourselves locked into the link of modern technology, Mehrab lives his life at the other end of the spectrum. Mohammed's photographic story describes one man's life in the middle of desert; a camel caretaker living in a date palm hut. www.strandedsymphonies.photoshelter.com



Golnaz Olya

© Golnaz Olya

Originally form Iran, Olya began shooting Parkour roughly four years ago. Capturing her subjects flying through mid-air amidst an urban Tehran landscape, Olya depicts a perspective of Iran not so commonly portrayed. www.golnazolya.com

Silvia Razgova

© Silvia Razgova

Defining the last fifty odd years have been a generation know as the baby-boomers.  Now reaching retirement and beyond, the "boomers" now redefine death much like they have redefined the culture they lived within. Razgova's presents her series Death Boom in her own photo-journalist approach. www.silviarazgova.com





Event details:
Date: Wednesday, 8th February at 7pm
Location: Knowledge Village Auditorium, Dubai (location map)
Free entry

www.gulfphotoplus.com

Exhibition - photoID

© Philip Cheung

photoID is a new group photography exhibition organised by Gulf Photo Plus, opening on 13th November and will be on till 15th January 2012. The exhibition focuses on the subject of identity with images varying in perspective and approach."the identity of a human being, of a city or organization, even an inanimate object can become warped by stereotypes, assumptions, and multilayer cultural contexts". 

The photographers taking part in this exhibition include Tamara Abdul Hadi, Ammar Al Attar, Richard Allenby-Pratt, Philip Cheung, Gerald Donovan, Katarina Premfors and yours truly. Not only are some of these photographers personal friends, but all are very well respected in the photography community locally and internationally, so I'm in very good company.

In photoID Abdul Hadi deconstructs the stereotypical assumptions of the ‘young male Arab’, whereas Al Attar explores the many faces drawn together on a journey to Mecca. Cheung and Donovan consider the identity of two separate cities, both existing in transition, while Mezaina and Premfors use the identity of inanimate objects in curious states to encourage the viewer to consider what these objects confess about human behaviour.  Allenby-Pratt focuses on Art Dubai, layering images to create interactions that did not in fact exist, yet express more about the identity of the fair than a single image could.

Here's a small selection of the photos from the exhibition.

© Tamara Abdul Hadi

© Ammar Al Attar

© Richard Allenby-Pratt

© Philip Cheung

© Gerald Donovan

© Hind Mezaina

© Katrina Premfors

The exhibition will take place at Gulf Photo Plus' new space in Al Serkal Avenue in Al Quoz. The new venue has a fully equipped photography studio, a retail space stocking photography related products and a lounge area for photographers. The new venue will also host regular workshops and exhibitions.

Event details
Date: Opening on 13th November from 7.00-10.00pm. The exhibition will run till 15th January 2012.
Venue: Gulf Photo Plus, Al Serkal Avenue, Al Quoz (location map)
Free entry.

www.gulfphotoplus.com
www.tamarabdulhadi.com
www.ammaralattar.com
www.allenby-pratt.com
www.philipcheungphoto.com
www.500px.com/geraldd
www.katarinapremfors.com
www.hindmezaina.com

Exhibition - UAE; A Work of Art at The Ara Gallery

Afternoon by Ammar Al Attar

The Ara Gallery is recent addition to the art gallery scene in Dubai. It is focused on promoting artists from the Arab world, "giving aspiring Arab artists a platform where their talents will be showcased to the region and the world". So far, their exhibitions have been focused on Emirati artists, and looks like their next one will have a strong Emirati theme to it.

UAE; A Work of Art is Ara Gallery's upcoming exhibition opening on 7th June and is dedicated to present work by seven emerging Emirati artists representing their home, the United Arab Emirates.

The artists include:
Aljoud Lootah | Ammar Al Attar | Hamdan Buti Al Shamisi | Mohammed Ahmed Ahli | Nawal Khoory | Wafa Al Qasaimi | Zeinab Al Hashemi

The artists have drawn from various aspects of their homeland and culture to produce their UAE-inspired works. While the general source of inspiration remains the same, each artist has focused on a unique aspect of the country which speaks out to them: the stunning landscapes, exposing daily rituals from local haunts, rich family history or the incredible development of this country, only serve to scratch the surface of this layered exhibition.

This exhibition serves not only as a means for emerging Emirati artists to showcase their love, heritage and creative vision of the home and culture that has made them who they are, but as a window to discover the Emirati traditions and lifestyle that many global residents and visitors in the UAE may be unfamiliar with.

Exhibition details
Date: 7th June - 30th Auguest (Opening 7th June from 7.00-9.00pm)
Location: Burj Plaza, Emaar Boulevard, Downtown Dubai (location map)

www.thearagallery.ae
www.niftee.ae
www.ammaralattar.com
www.hamdaany.carbonmade.com
www.mohdahli.com

Slidefest III

Photo by Clint McLean

Slidefest is back with its third edition on 3rd November. The second edition that happened in May had a fantastic turnout and great feedback, so I'm looking to seeing what the third edition has in store.

If you are new to Slidefest, it's an event oraganised by Gulf Photo Plus where photographers present their personal projects in a variety of genres that can range from documentary projects to fine art, still-life and landscape images. The event also aims to bring photographers (amateurs and pros) and people from the photography community together where people can network, connect, and share stories.

Event details:
Date: Wednesday, 3rd November at 7pm
Location: Knowledge Village Auditorium, Dubai (location map)
Free entry

Here's the line up for Slidefest III:

Ammar Al Attar
Ammar is an avid Emirati street and documentary photographer based in Sharjah. He will be sharing a series of images taken in and around the streets of Dubai and Sharjah. Ammar shoots with a Leica M6 film camera and will also be giving an insight on the process of shooting and developing film in the Emirates.

Amy Leang
Amy Leang is an American photojournalist currently working for The National. Amy will be presenting images from the Guru Hanuman Akhara Wrestling School which is a wonderful series of images of young wrestlers practicing the art of Kushti in India.

Left: Ammar Al Attar Right: Amy Leung

Aysha Al-Muhairi
Aysha is a program production manager at Dubai Media Inc. and when she is not producing programs, she is an avid photographer and she will be presenting a series of images that highlight the beauty of the ocean. 

Carol Dragon
Carol, a New York based photographer and instructor will be sharing a series of environmental portraits that she has been pursuing where she photographs people in their homes and workplaces because she's fascinated by the challenge of walking into a person’s space and making a portrait that expresses not what she presupposes but what she ends up discovering.

Clint McLean
Clint McLean, also from The National is sometimes photographer, sometimes photo editor and sometimes photography instructor and he will be presenting Saltworks where Clint examines the duality of salt in its humble everyday use with that of its visually compelling natural state.

Martin Prihoda
Martin Prihoda, a successful editorial and commercial photographer originally from Canada has been based in Mumbai since last year and has been doing some great personal and commercial work in India. It is his personal work that he will be sharing in particular two stories; one is a series of portraits of yoga and yogis in and around Rishikesh and Haridwar in Northern India.

Wouter Kingma
Wouter is a professional photographer based in Dubai specializing in sports, outdoor and adventure photography. He will be showcasing work from his Project Endurance series which is a compilation of images from some of the toughest adventure races on the planet and will also share video clips from the documentary.


www.gulfphotoplus.com

Update on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 1:10AM by The Culturist

One more photographer has been added to the line up:

Nasra Edde, she will present a stop motion photography project of portraits of women over the age of 40.

Kushti Wrestling in Dubai

Kushti is a wrestling sport that is common in India and Pakistan and we get a taste of it here in Dubai every Friday on the sand patch close to the Fish Market in Deira.

It was banned in Dubai for a while, but I've been told it's back (although it is not happening during Ramadan) after I saw these photos by Ammar Al Attar that he recently shot. I love the vintage look of these photos and I also love that it shows a side of Dubai that not many people see.

I've never been to this event yet, but I plan to go and check it out next month after Ramadan is over.

www.ammaralattar.com

Idea..Moment..Message by Sameer Al-Jabri

This video by Sameer Al-Jabri features photographers Bader Al Awadi, Omar Al Zaabi and one of my friends, Ammar Al Attar talking about their work and their different approaches to it, from analogue to digital. It also touches upon the art of photography and even though almost everyone is a photographer these days, it takes a while to become an artist.

About this video,

"Photographers in the past used to go through lots of stages to get one photograph. The word 'photographer' couldn’t be given to any one. Nowadays with all the technology that we have, photography has become very effortless. Technology has hit the market with all those digital auto-focus cameras. The word 'photographer' has started to become meaningless since any camera can do the photographer’s job.

My documentary film features some of the best Emirati photographers that have been taking photos for many years. all of them are really innovative and very creative and each have his own style." Sameer Al-Jabri

For the longest time, photography wasn't taken very seriously here, it was always treated as a hobby. But I'm glad to see a change over the past few years, where we have home grown talent pursuing commercial and art photography.


www.wix.com/aljaberi/sfp