W* explores the Dubai Photo Exhibition, at Art Dubai 2016

The Dubai Photo Exhibition held it’s inaugural event during Art Dubai, showcasing over 700 works from 23 countries

(Image credit: Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum)

last updated 14 October 2022

The Dubai Photo Exhibition held it’s inaugural event this weekend, showcasing over 700 works from 23 countries in an exploration of 20th and 21st century photography.

Overseen by 18 curators, including Martin Barnes of the V&A, the exhibition was staged in a purpose built ‘temporary museum’ in Dubai’s new Design District (d3) – home to the region’s growing art and design industries – offering a global perspective on both historical and contemporary photography.

Intending to place Dubai as a photography hub, The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) collaborated with the World Photography Organisation on the project, bringing in Zelda Cheatle as head curator. Cheatle – whose 35 years of experience in ‘putting pictures on the wall’ was evident – hoped the exhibition was ‘on par with any museum’. ‘Photography,’ she explains, ‘is a relatively young medium, and the UAE is a relatively young country – we hope Dubai could become synonymous with showing great photography.’

Highlights included Madan Mahatta’s images of architects and their homes for India (curated by Devika Singh) and She Daike’s beautiful black and white landscapes documentating geographical changes around the Yangtze River over 40 years (curated by Huang Yihuang). Even without Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother, the inclusion of critics favourite Alec Soth, plus Nicholas Nixon’s The Brown Sisters made the USA & Canada's offering (curated by Natasha Egan) a heavyweight exhibit. A triptych of Pieter Hugo’s images made for a haunting representation of life in poverty in South Africa, while Simon Menner’s Stasi portraits were a comedic turn for Germany. Japan had an extremely strong showing with Daido Moriyama, but it was Takashi Arai’s daguerreotypes that stole the country’s show – his mastery of this classic and complex production method resulting in arresting black and white images, presented with singular light bulbs and reflective glass around each iteration.

Photograph of 6 men throwing guns in the air — The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) collaborated with the World Photography Organisation on the project, bringing in Zelda Cheatle as head curator and featuring works from the private collection of the Crown Prince of Dubai

Photograph of the interior of the house — Highlights included Madan Mahatta’s images of architects and their homes for India (pictured)

Under water swimmer — ‘Photography,’ Cheatle explains, ‘is a relatively young medium, and the UAE is a relatively young country – we hope Dubai could become synonymous with showing great photography.’ Pictured: *Underwater swimmer,* by André Kertész, 1917

Black and white landscape — She Daike’s beautiful black and white landscapes document geographical changes around the Yangtze River over 40 years (as curated by Huang Yihuang).

Photographs on the wall — A triptych of Pieter Hugo’s images, pictured, made for a haunting representation of life in poverty in South Africa

Playing children — *Outback children, South Australia, by* David Moore, 1963.

Two women standing — *Loli's wedding, Morcillo,* by Cristina García Rodero, 1991. *Copyright the artist / Magnum Photos.*

Photographs gallery exhibition — Installation view of works by Alec Soth, left, and Nicholas Nixon, right

Man pulling a carriage — *Peering into the future,* by Héctor García, 1958.

Takashi Arai is a master of the classic and complex daguerreotype production method. Pictured left: Simon Menner’s Secret Stasi Archives from the ’Chapter: Teaching - From a Desguise Seminar’, 2013. Courtesy the artist. Right: Radioactive Lilies, Iitate Village, Fukushima, from the series ’Here and There – Tomorrows’ Islands’, by Takashi Arai, 2011. Courtesy the artist

Photograph of horse's — *Amil,* by Cristóbal Hara, 2005. Copyright the artist / VEGAP.

Hydropower station — *The Time Machine: An Incomplete & Semi-Objective Survey of Hydropower Stations,* by Edgar Martins, 2011.

Black and white photograph of a house front — *A Sea of Steps – Stairs to the Chapter House, Wells Cathedral,* by Frederick H Evans, 1903.

Man sitting on the stairs — *Evanescent,* by José Yalenti, 1945.

Black and white photograph of a women — *Circus Woman,* by Nakaji Yasui, 1940. *Copyright Nakao Yasui reproduction image from new print.*

Black and white picture of a women — *Schichtseite nach unten III,* by Katharina Sieverding, 2007.

INFORMATION

The Dubai Photography Exhibition ran from 16–19 March 2016. For more information, visit the HIPA website

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