2015, SHARJAH - SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION: LIGHT SHOW // NIHAL ABDELLATIF & SARAH AHMED

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NIHAL ABDELLATIF

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY SARAH AHMED

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2015, SHARJAH - SULTAN IBRAHIM // ALI MRAD

سلطان إبراهيم، هو أكثر ما كانت تطلبه أمي عندما كنت أذهب معها إلى سوق الأسماك في صباح يوم الجمعة من كل شهر.

"عندك سلطان ابراهيم؟ بكم الكيلو؟ عطني منّ" هذه جملة تتردد دائماً في ذاكرتي كلما مررت بجانب السوق خلال عودتي من منطقة الفنون. سوق الأسماك في الشارقة (القديم) هو جزء من شريط حياتي، لازلت أذكر ميناء السفن التي كانت تصطف أمام محلات الأسماك، كنت استمتع بالنظر إليها وهي تهتز سعيدة ومتحمسة للإبحار، لكن تم نقلها لمكان آخر لعمل توسعة لأرض السوق.

ما إن تم الإعلان عن بناء سوق جديد شعرت بوخزة في قلبي لكنني تقبّلت الخبر لأنني أعلم بأن هذه التحديثات ستكون للأفضل.

انتقل الموظفون إلى سوق الأسماك الجديد والذي يسمي بـ "سوق الجبيل" المشيد خلف القديم مباشرة، ويجري الآن أمام ناظري هدم السوق لعمل مواقف سيارات لزائري السوق الجديد.... ذكرى لهدم ذكريات.

2015, ABU DHABI - Emirati EXPRESSIONS: REALISED // SARAH AHMED & MOHAMMED ELHASSAN

Emirati Expressions features Nasir Nasrallah, Khalid Mezaina, and many more Emarati artists across the region. You can still check out Emirati Expressions in Manarat Al Saadiyat till the 18th of January.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SARAH AHMED

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medium // instagram 

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY MOHAMMED ELHASSAN

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2015, ABU DHABI - CAPITAL PARK // SARAH AHMED

It was around 8 AM, there was no one at the gate and it was open. A stranger told me to just walk in because it was open but I left a dirham with a note, just in case (entry fee).

It was a bit humid, but the air was incredibly fresh. I’m pretty sure I’m not being biased but it phsyically made me feel better. I settled at a bench, read my book and listened to music. Some humans were there doing their morning walks (mostly mothers pushing strollers whilst simultaniously powerwalking). An old couple sat at a bench, with rice & bread for birds/piegons.

A man in a sharp suit walked around, and it seemed pretty obvious that this must be where all these corporate humans around this park come to? A couple of minutes later, I notice he has a plastic bag, and he was going around the park, looking for humans that water this glorious place, giving them juice boxes & sandwiches for breakfast.

It was one of the nicest things I’ve seen in a long time.

2015, AL KHOBAR - LOUD ART: REINTERPRETING CONTEMPORARY

The fourth edition of the annual exhibition revisits Arab Contemporary Art with fresh eyes from 15 - 29 October

LOUD Art celebrated the opening of its fourth annual art exhibition titled ‘Reinterpreting Contemporary’ on Thursday, 15 October at Desert Designs Art Gallery in Al Khobar.

The exhibition, which will run until the 29th of this month, features a total of 29 collaborating artists,  including Ali Cha’aban, Esra Al Hamal, Yusef Al Ahmed and Areej Adel, showcasing their artistic reflections that reinterpret Arab Contemporary Art through the communality of language, nostalgia and the prospects of visual impact, using mediums such as photography, pop art prints, installations and jewelry, which caught the attention of Al Khobar’s art scene.

LOUD Art’s Co-founder Raneen Bukhari expressed her excitement about moving the show to Riyadh and Jeddah within the few upcoming months which aims to offer more opportunities for young and emerging talents in the region.

LOUD Art, which started off as an experimental platform with local amateur artists in the region in 2012, now celebrates its partnership with Le Meridien Hotel, Al Khobar, resulting from achieving the great success and regional recognition for the past 3 years.

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For more information on the exhibition visit: http://www.loudartsa.com/2015/
Updates and announcements can be found on Instagram @loudart and twitter @loudartsa.

2015, ABU DHABI - ART HOUSE SPEAKS ANNIVERSARY // CANNONBALL PRODUCTIONS & SARAH AHMED

Art House Speaks is an event that takes place every month in the coolest cafe in Abu Dhabi, Art House Cafe. I've attended almost all the events, and I'm absolutely thrilled that places like this exist in Abu Dhabi.

Attending an Art House Speaks event, you should expect laughing, tearing, and being overwhelmed by feelings you never knew existed. It's a beautiful community, where humans share their poems, stories, jokes, and music.

Art House Speaks joined the 100 thousand poets for change, and have an excellent event coming up on the 26th of September. Visit their Facebook page for more details.

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These rad photographs are courtesy of Cannonball Productions. They're a very passionate independent media production house run by Andeo & a group of indie champions. // twitter

2015, ABU DHABI - ART HOUSE CAFE // SARAH AHMED

Art House Cafe hosts one of the raddest spoken word events in Abu Dhabi, Art House Speaks. I’ve been to the events but I’ve never been here during the day and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s a very chill place to hangout in. Excellent food and lovely staff.

2015, ABU DHABI - ZAYED UNIVERSITY'S SENIORS' ART EXHIBITION // SARAH AHMED

These pictures don't do the pieces justice, so consider heading there and checking these gems out. 

2015, UAE - ARCHITECTURE // MULHAM JAZMATI

2014, KUWAIT - DATES' SOUQ // HUDA ABDULMUGHNI

Souk Mubarakiya is Kuwait’s oldest market, unaltered despite the passage of time. Near the Sheikh Mubarak Kiosk, built early last century, is situated the old date market.  Still retaining its original design, the date market runs along a corridor of no more than forty meters, with fifteen shops occupying each side.  If one day you have the opportunity to visit, be sure to show up very early in the morning to meet the oldest shop-owner, Ali Fahad Al-Ajeel, whose store has been around since the 1940s.  Ali sells grains, rice, tea and other food commodities.  Nearby, Hussein Abdulrazzaq's shop still carries the same aura of years past, with the help of Abu Jaber.  Despite the change in activity of certain shops, the twelve shops continue to stock their dates traditionally.  Within their four walls, these merchants - in their old  surviving stalls - are the keepers of our culture.

At a young age I found myself gravitating towards the art of portraiture. I found the candid rawness of the human face to be extremely moving, especially when combined with the chaos of their urban surroundings. I believe good portraiture creates a humbling and intimate experience for the viewer, as one is granted for a brief moment a glimpse into the private spheres of another’s life. As a Kuwaiti photographer, I used my portraits to capture the fleeting history of Kuwaiti culture; a traditional culture which is slowly fading with the extreme modernisation and westernisation of the society by the younger generation. In the brief moments of the ‘souk’ (market), I find the history of the Kuwaiti culture still surviving within the four narrow walls of some of the oldest surviving stalls. These merchant men have watched over the ever evolving souk, whilst retained their age-old methods, ever constant in an ever advancing society. While conversing with them, I find the simplicity of their mannerisms inspiring, their stories entertaining and thought provoking. I try to capture the modesty of their lives through my encounters, in the hopes that my camera can somehow portray their narrative along with their image.