Gulf Photo Plus is opening the new season with an exhibition of photographs by Pablo Corral Vega from Ecuador; Khalid Hassan from Bangladesh; Dominic Sansoni from Sri Lanka; South African Neo Ntsoma; and Iranian Shadi Ghadirian. The show has been organised in collaboration with the Majority World photography agency, an organisation that promotes photographers from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The artworks in this show present an insider’s perspective of these diverse cultures and environments. They tell the stories and showcase the talent of people who represent a majority of the population in the world but remain unheard and unrecognised by Western media.
Hassan, an award-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker, is exhibiting a series titled “Dhaka … My Dream”. His multiple-exposure images juxtapose the modern skyscrapers in the Bangladeshi capital with images of people on the streets, rickshaws and pavement dwellers. They document the feverish growth in Dhaka alongside the individual struggles of the thousands of migrants who have made the city their home. “With a population of more than 15 million, Dhaka is the keeper of strong survivors, restless migrants and climate refugees. For some this rapidly growing megacity is like a dream, while for others it is a nightmare. This city is my birthplace and has shaped me. It has given a lot to all those who live here, but we have not looked after it. We have choked her waterways and her lungs in the name of development and industrialisation. We must think about the impact of this unplanned growth and increasing numbers of migrants on the ecosystem and the social fabric of the city,” Hassan says.
Growing up in South Africa during the apartheid era, Ntsoma was denied the opportunity to get a degree in photography. But she is now an internationally recognised photographer, and the first woman recipient of the CNN Africa Journalist Award for Photography. She is celebrating 20 years of democracy and freedom in her country with a series titled “Generation of Change” that captures the vibrant black youth culture in her country. “People are familiar with the apartheid history of South Africa, but few know about the black urban culture that emerged after 1994. Young black ‘Kwaito’ musicians and others played a pivotal role in changing perceptions about black youth, redefining the South African identity and connecting people. I believe that this generation, which is my generation, is a generation of change that has done the country proud and paved the way for a better future. This project gives an insight into how a generation once bruised by political situations of the past has refused to be shackled by it and illustrates how a nation can heal and move forward,” she says.
Sansoni has travelled throughout Asia as a news photographer. But the series he is exhibiting here is focused on and named after an area in his hometown, Colombo, called Colombo 14. His colourful photographs depict celebrations of various religious festivals in this neighbourhood. “I enjoy working in this multicultural community where Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims live side by side in complete harmony and with dignity and grace,” he says.
Vega, a renowned photojournalist, artist and lawyer, is presenting a very personal series of photographs titled “My Garden in the Wild”. The series, featuring stunning images of the Ecuadorian landscape, is dedicated to his fiancée Carolina Hidalgo, who died in a car accident in 2013. “After losing Carolina my life was devoid of joy, meaning or purpose. But a year later I found myself beside a mountain ravine close to my childhood home. Filled with wild flowers, herbs, century plants, butterflies and birds, it was like a beautiful garden created by nature. Carolina was a landscape architect and loved gardens and trees, and being in that garden gave me a sense of peace. The desire to share this beauty with others motivated me to begin this project. Since then, I have visited many of Ecuador’s varied ecosystems, photographing national parks and nature reserves, trying to use the healing power of nature to convert grief into beauty,” he says.
Ghadirian’s work is linked with her identity as a Muslim woman living in Iran, but it deals with issues relevant to every woman such as the role and status of women in society and the socio-cultural restrictions imposed on them. In her photographic series titled “Like Every Day” she comments on the daily, monotonous routine that many women are trapped in. The playful pictures feature women draped in colourful patterned fabric instead of the typical Iranian black chador, with a common household item such as an iron teacup, broom, pot or pan covering their faces. “I want to question traditional female stereotypes and the position of women not only in the Middle East but also around the globe,” she says.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.
“Majority World: Photography Exhibition” will run at Gulf Photo Plus, Alserkal Avenue, until October 16.
