Focus on UAE at Dubai Photo Exhibition

Dubai Photo Exhibition, taking place from March 16-19 in a purpose-built ‘temporary museum’ in the Dubai Design District (d3), will present a selection of over 700 photographic masterworks from 23 countries, chosen by 18 top international curators and led by Head Curator, Zelda Cheatle.

The exhibition consists of 18 country/region exhibits, one of which is an exhibit of works from the host country, the UAE, curated by Jassim Al Awadhi and featuring the work of eight Emirati photographers.

Jassim Al Awadhi earned a Masters in Photography from Nottingham Trent University, UK, in 1999 and a B.A in Fine Arts from the University of Dayton, Ohio, USA in 1985. Al Awadhi spent more than 20 years as a crime scene photographer, which marked his work with special features that combine a contemporary and documentary nature.

Al Awadhi has taught at the College of Fine Arts at Sharjah University, is Founder and Chairman of the UAE Photography Club, and has served as a judge on several photography competition panels. His work has been on show in numerous exhibitions in the UAE and abroad.

The UAE exhibit curator said, "I have chosen former students to become part of my vision for this unforgettable event, which is going to be the starting point of contemporary activities in photography for the future to come. I was very careful in covering all aspects and elements of photography and design when selecting the themes from the anthologies of selected artists. The artists in this exhibit are all dreamers in the best sense possible, for each of them have portrayed their own prints and feelings intertwined with the dream and the overall concept of this exhibition."

Ali bin Thalith, Secretary-General of HIPA, said, "We at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, HIPA, simply cannot wait to share all the masterpieces presented within the Dubai Photo Exhibition with the wider public- the exhibition covers an exceptionally wide scope and features some of the world’s most renowned artistic photographers. However, on a very personal level, we are incredibly excited to be gathering within this a number of important Emirati-produced images for the first time together in one location. The curation for the UAE exhibit has come together seamlessly, with artworks by some of the most prominent local photographers working today. I think local and international visitors alike will be surprised and inspired by what they find in Jassim’s curation, and I hope it serves as a stimulus for our dynamic regional photography scene."

The eight Emirati photographers featured in the Dubai Photo Exhibition UAE exhibit are Nasser Haji, Jalal Jamal bin Thaneya, Ahlam Al Ahmad, Ammar Al Attar, Sulaiman Ahmed bin Eid Al Hammadi, Moza Al Falasi, Omar Abdulrahman Al Zaabi and Amani Al Shaali.

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