Sharjah24: The Xposure International Photography Festival looked at the intricate relationship between place and identity through an insightful session titled Place & Identity: 4 Emerging Emirati Women Artists, on Monday, which was also an in-depth exploration of the evolving artistic landscape in the UAE and the wider region.
Dr. Ioannis Galanopoulos Papavasileiou, an Associate Professor of Art at Zayed University and a contemporary interdisciplinary visual artist, led the session, drawing from his extensive experience and intimate knowledge of the local art scene. He presented the works of four talented emerging Emirati artists: Samar Al Wahedi, Shereen Alzaabi, Huda AlBreiki, and Salmah AlMansoori, also his students, offering conceptual and contextual frameworks and approaches employed by these artists.
“The UAE is a dynamic blend of tradition and progress, offering fertile ground for artistic exploration,” said Dr Galanopoulos. “Through their works, emerging artists navigate the complexities of place and identity, reflecting the multifaceted nature of our society.”
Each artist showcased in the session brought a unique perspective to the theme of place and identity. “All four of them use photography as part of the visual and expanded visual art practice,” said Dr Galanopoulos, “and we can understand their work through the UAE’s own development.
“The expanded photographic practices used by these artists include image appropriation, digital compositing, algorithmic captures, and on- and off-camera manipulation.”
Al Wahedi's exhibition, ‘Unmarked Territories,’ explored the concept of space and borders through pseudo-aerial views of the Rub al Khali, or the Empty Quarter desert. “Seeking to blend nomadic Bedouin narratives with contemporary ideas, with specific tools and methods, Alwahebi depicts the loss of place identity using a pseudo aerial view to capture her work, plus crop and pictorial manipulation. She conveys the challenges, hardship, even trauma in league with the notion of the nomadic journey.”
Alzaabi's solo exhibition, ‘Home and Away,’ delved into the shifting notion of home in an era of globalisation and remote technologies. “The concept of ‘home’, as you know, has shifted due to the remote technologies, globalisation and the pandemic,” said Dr Galanopoulos.
“Since home no longer means a physical space, but is a place emanating for both work and play, happiness and sadness, belongingness and displacement, Alzaabi’s images blur and filter and exaggerate the natural and artificial light. She strongly opposes place familiarity in her work, which renders home into a distant memory or a fleeting emotion.”
“Huda AlBreiki's ‘Transfiguration’ and Salmah AlMansoori's 'Ghayati' and 'How I Became' further enriched our understanding of place and identity," explained the professor. “Their experimental practices, including image appropriation and mixed media, offered thought-provoking insights into the evolving cultural landscape of the UAE.
AlMansoori, meanwhile, delves into expanded photography and mixed media, contemplating place and identity, reminiscing about old neighbourhoods and houses that shaped her as a person when she grew up. Using photo transfer as an expanding photographic technique and the fragility of the material, she evokes memories, removing layers of paper and paint on the surface.
“Through the works of these talented artists, we gain a deeper understanding of the diverse narratives that shape our collective identity,” said Dr. Galanopoulos.
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