Culture & Education | Thursday 15 November, 2018 4:42 pm |

The Xposure International Photography Festival, now in its third year, showcases the very best of modern photography through 34 indoor exhibitions featuring more than 700 images, from November 21-24 at Expo Centre Sharjah. These, as well as 12 outdoor exhibitions across 6 popular malls and public venues in Dubai and Sharjah, present the UAE’s art enthusiasts a unique opportunity to see works by many of the best and emerging photographers, as well as professional institutions representing countries across the seven continents.

Festival organisers, the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), have emphasised that the free exhibitions showcase some of the most powerful and thought-provoking images of the past few years, and each selection is considered to be a major achievement for any photographer.

Bringing together themes of history, politics, global events, technology, fashion, world travels and expeditions, nature, environmentalism and the best of the wild, cityscapes and urbanisation in different parts of the world, as well as abstract photography, social topics like the refugee crisis and internal displacement, and the workings of the human mind, Xposure 2018 exhibitions will feature the best works of over 90 photographers.

’Moments’ by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Essdras M Suarez, portray the best and the worst the human spirit can offer. American fashion, beauty and fine art photographer, Douglas Dubler will be showcasing his works in an exhibition titled ‘See the Unseen’, which is inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous adage. The ‘Isolation’ series by photographer Drew Altdoerffer presents the ironic consequence of technology on us as it connects us in an instant, and simultaneously draws us far apart. Through ‘In the Light of Darkness’, photographer Kate Brooks chronicles the impact of US foreign policy on Pakistan and Afghanistan post 9/11 attacks.

‘Yes, We Did’, by Lawrence Jackson, a former Official White House Photographer, offers a pictorial story of his 8-year tenure under the Obama Administration. Maan Habib’s exhibition ‘Eye on Iraq’ shifts the focus from the war in Iraq to offer a visual story reflecting the nonviolent reality of everyday life in the country. In ‘Crux’, we see an explosion of colour and avant-garde technique by European photographer William Barrington-Binns, who ties it to his deep-seated love for South East Asia. ‘Convergence’ is a curation of 12 photographs that Dubai-based Slovenian photographer Beno Saradzic captured in the past 6 years. Through a collection of stunning works that make up ‘The Wild Trails’, Paws Trails Explorers raises awareness about vanishing species and threatened habitats in the region and around the world.  

The Everyday Refugees exhibition returns to this years’ edition of Xposure. It is named after a Dutch non-profit organisation that was started by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Muhammed Muheisen. The exhibition aims to document, help, educate and empower refugees and internally displaced people by conflict, natural disasters, discrimination and poverty in different parts of the world. Other exhibitions not to be missed include ‘1000 words’ by Cory Richards and ‘Signs of Light’ by Eric Pare.  

Architectural photographer Andy Yeung captures life within densely populated Hong Kong from a new perspective in ‘Urban Jungle’. ‘Paradise Lost’ is by Katarina Premfors, who was invited by Greenpeace to photograph the communities of Indonesia’s rainforests and peatlands exploited for the production of palm oil, pulp and paper. ‘Time to Look’ documents unique moments from photographer David Newton’s extensive travels around the world. Then there are selected images from Philip Lee Harvey’s ‘Travelling Light’ and Keith Berr’s ‘Save the Salt’.

‘Human Planet’ by veteran photographer Timothy Allen brings his two-year journey around the world to capture most incredible human stories for the epic BBC series with the same name. The collection of images at Xposure 2018 are limited edition, signed prints on 340 gsm Canson Infinity Baryta Prestige from a series of 12.  

‘Nimius’ by García de Marina is a section of the Spanish photographer’s works since he started his career and offers viewers novel perspectives on simple, everyday objects. ‘44 Days’ is a hair-raising account by David Burnett, who risked his life to document the carnage in Iran in 1978 that led to the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. ‘The Hidden Costs’ by New York-based J. Henry Fair is a visual eye-opener to excess consumerism and the unaccounted costs taken from our life support systems for private gain. ‘Forest’ by Dr Yan Wang Preston presents her investigations of the questionable process of recreating nature in Chinese cities.

Representing the UAE are four Emirati photographers, Ali Alsharif, Yousef Al Habshi and Mohammed Almusabi, Yousef Al Zaabi with exhibitions, ‘A View on the Arabic Image’; ‘Macro World’; and ‘Socotra Island’, and ‘Golden Eagles of Mongolia’.

New Art Additions– ‘Melting Memories’ by Refik Anadol & 360 Degree Studio by Eric Pare

Xposure 2018 will also showcase an augmented data sculpture by media artist Refik Anadol. It is the first time that his large-scale work ‘Melting Memories’ has come to the region to take viewers inside the human brain.

Another interesting technology innovation in the photography field, a 360 degree studio will be brought to Xposure 2018 by visual artist Eric Pare, who will engage the audience in a sensory experience by manipulating time, light and space through the bullet-time photography technique.

To support emerging photographers, the festival provides them with the opportunity to display their works during the festival on customised exhibition display panels.

More information on the exhibitions at Xposure 2018 is available at  https://xposure.ae/exhibitions-2018/ .

Xposure is the official photography platform that combines a broad range of photography activities with a consumer product Trade Show. Supported by internationally acclaimed professionals and industry experts, Xposure International Photography Festival offers many exciting opportunities to learn new skills and network with leading professionals and enthusiasts, along with the opportunity to see, handle and try the latest photographic products.