Najmeh Kazazi (2021)

Maryam Firuzi
Najmeh Kazazi
2021
From ‘Scattered memories of a distorted future’, 2021
Digital photography
42 x 31.5 cm
Courtesy of the artist

Overview

The 10th edition of Vantage Point Sharjah (VPS), an annual photography exhibition that manifests the spirit of experimentation in lens-based image making today, opens this Friday at Sharjah Art Foundation.

The open call for VPS 10 invited works that celebrate photography's ability to perceive social realities and the diversity of contemporary lives from multiple perspectives and present these realities through different forms of visual storytelling. Works by 66 artists from 34 countries were selected for the exhibition from more than 450 applications.

Introduced in 2013 to cultivate public engagement with photography as an artistic medium, VPS has evolved into a dynamic platform that embraces multiple approaches to photography, from photojournalism and photo essays to experimental work in both analogue and digital forms.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Sharjah Art Foundation presents the Vantage Point Photography Award to five of the selected photographers to encourage their practice. The awardees will be announced on the opening day of VPS 10. One winner will receive a cash prize of USD 5,000, and four runners-up will each receive USD 1,500. This year’s international jury consists of acclaimed photographers Solmaz Daryani, Lamya Gargash and Sohrab Hura.

The exhibition runs from 16 September to 11 December 2022 at Al Hamriyah Studios in Al Hamriyah, Sharjah.

VPS 10 Participating Artists:

Zeina Abedrabo
Sari Al Dahoul
Mehraneh Atashi
Ali Abbas Azhar
Mythri Babu
Ali Bahmani
Twinkle Banerjee
Hady Barry
Abdelhamid Belahmidi
Toufic Beyhum
Diyae Bourhim
Philippe Caland
Ian Cheibub
Aya Chriki
Elham Dawsari
Arum Tresnaningtyas Dayuputri
Maxence Dedry
Santanu Dey
Farheen Fatima
Md Fazla Rabbi Fatiq
Attila Fekete
Maryam Firuzi
Ramzi Flayhan
Cristina Fontsare
Julien Gardair
Karim Goury
Barry Harley
Roya Heydari
Ziaul Huque
Sitara Ibrahimbayli
Ali Al Shehabi Jaafar
Prapat Jiwarangsan
Zobayer Hossain Joati
Ayman Kaake
Munir Kabani
Mohosin Kabir
Maazin Hisham Kamal
Yasmin Kazeem
Mohamad Khayata
Jennifer Kinsey
Kirti Kumari
Duy-Phuong Le Nguyen
Dmitry Lookianov
Elli Lorz
Benjamin Malik Roman Mahieddine
Rima Maroun
Maria Mavropoulou
Mónica de Miranda
Zinnia Naqvi
Morteza Niknahad
Neec Nonso
Kayode Oluwa
Ibrahim Quraishi
Btihal Remli
Fadwa Rouhana
Lydia Saidi
Pallov Saikia
Soody Sharifi
Valentin Sidorenko
Daro Sulakauri
Safia Tadbirt
Ali Tahayori
Sarathi Thamodaran
Bongani Tshabalala
Alexis Vasilikos
Zulkhairi Zulkiflee

Visiting the exhibition

16 September–11 December 2022, Al Hamriyah Studios, Al Hamriyah, Sharjah
9:00 am–9:00 pm, Saturday to Thursday | 4:00 pm–9:00 pm, Friday
Free admission. Advance registration required at sharjahart.org

About Sharjah Art Foundation

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. Under the leadership of founder Hoor Al Qasimi, a curator and artist, 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. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.

About Sharjah

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 was designated the UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ for the year 2019.

Media Contacts

Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971(0)65444113