Mosfiqur Rohan, Memories of Underdevelopment, 2017–2023. Image courtesy of the artist
Vantage Point Sharjah (VPS) is an annual exhibition that spotlights emerging photographers from the region and beyond. Opening this month, the 12th edition derives its title, If I Were Another, from a poem by Mahmoud Darwish. From the artists who responded to this thematic prompt through an international open call, four were selected for the exhibition.
The featured works reflect on personal experiences, history and collective memory. While the photographic images have been created using various methodologies, they all recall fragmented memories that resonate with universal human experiences.
Sara Kontar documents her personal experiences of exile to investigate fragments of forgotten memories and explore themes of displacement. Thasil Suhara Backer examines ecology and biopolitics through the dual lens of theatre and visual art. Photojournalist Arum Dayu explores contemporary Javanese culture and society with a particular focus on feminism and motherhood. Anthropologist Mosfiqur Rahman Johan uses photography to document the hardships of marginalised communities struggling with displacement.
Bringing together diverse voices and lived experiences, the exhibition embodies the spirit of experimentation in contemporary photography and provides a dynamic platform for a spectrum of approaches, from documentary to experimental, in both analogue and digital forms.
The artists’ work will be showcased as independent presentations throughout Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, Arts Square, Sharjah, from 28 September to 8 December 2024. VPS12 also includes a one-on-one professional mentoring programme, pairing artists with cultural practitioners or industry professionals of their choice.
Vantage Point Sharjah 12 is curated by Sara Al Mheiri, Assistant Curator, Sharjah Art Foundation.
Sara Kontar
Based in France since 2016, Sara Kontar (b. 1996) is a Syrian artist, photographer and filmmaker. In 2021, she founded Al-Ayoun, a platform dedicated to visual storytellers in Syria and the diaspora. Her archival documentary project Towards A Light was exhibited at Palais de Tokyo in 2024. Her photography series Therefore, I Cut won the Inge Morath Award by Magnum Foundation and travelled to New York City, Marrakesh and the ArtExpola Festival in 2024. Her project Paper Homes (2023–ongoing), which she began while studying visual journalism at VII Foundation in Arles, is a culmination of interviews with individuals in exile. Kontar earned a master's degree in animation cinema from L’École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (ENSAD). She is also part of a collaborative project titled Two Songs of Diaspora with Magnum Foundation’s Arab Documentary Photography Program.
Thasil Suhara Backer
Thasil Suhara Backer (b. 1992, Kerala) examines the intersection of biopolitics with ecology through a practice encompassing a variety of mediums, including performance, photography, video, sculptural assemblages, intuitive drawings and text. His notable projects include Anthology on Place and Sound (Norient Sound), Muziris to Lakhpat (India Foundation for the Arts) and Elephant in the Room (Conflictorium-Museum of Conflict). Among his group shows are Care is Art, Art is Care (2024) and Permanent Conference (2023). He earned a master’s degree in performing arts from the University of Hyderabad and subsequently trained at the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore. Additionally, he received a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Calicut, Kerala, and the Young Artist Fellowship from India’s Ministry of Culture (2013–2014).
Arum Dayu
Arum Dayu (b. 1984, Central Java, Indonesia) examines modern Javanese culture and society through photojournalism. She started her career with Kompas, a daily newspaper in Indonesia, and has since participated in several exhibitions, workshops and artist residences in the country and abroad. She initiated a study group named Kami Punya Cerita [We Have Our Own Story], located in Tobucil and Klabs, Bandung. Part of the collective Omnikolektif, she is also active in the music scene as a member of the bands Tetangga Pak Gesang and Syarikat Idola Remaja. Dayu earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Sebelas Maret University (2007), a diploma in photojournalism from Ateneo de Manila University (2012) and a master’s degree in visual art from Bandung Institute of Technology (2020).
Mosfiqur Rahman Johan
Anthropologist and documentary photographer Mosfiqur Rahman Johan (b. 1997, Bangladesh) travels across Bangladesh to capture visual narratives highlighting humanitarian issues and underrepresented stories. He blends his artistic approach with long-term immersion in the field to convey nuanced and sensitive observations on complex issues, such as enforced disappearances, police brutality and environmental degradation. His project Memories of Underdevelopment won the Lenscratch Student Prize (2024) and has been exhibited internationally. In 2019, Johan enrolled at Brac University to study anthropology and enhance his skills in ethnography and research-based documentary techniques.
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. In 1998, it was named UNESCO's 'Arab Capital of Culture' and has been designated the UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ for the year 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
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Mosfiqur Rohan, Memories of Underdevelopment, 2017–2023. Image courtesy of the artist