Light From the #MiddleEast - New Photography > @V_and_A Museum #London

13 November 2012 – 7 April 2013

The first major exhibition of contemporary photography from and about the Middle East, Light from the Middle East: New Photography features over 90 works by some of the most exciting artists from across the region.  

Photographs by 30 artists from 13 different countries showcase a range of creative and sophisticated responses to the social challenges and political upheavals that have shaped the Middle East over the past 20 years. The exhibition covers a wide range of techniques and subject matter, from photojournalism to staged and digitally manipulated imagery, presenting multiple viewpoints of a region where collisions between personal, social, religious and political life can be emotive and complex.  

This exhibition has been enabled through the establishment of the Art Fund Collection of Middle Eastern Photography at the V&A and the British Museum.

Contemporary photographic practice relating to the Middle East in the last few years has been vibrant, innovative and varied. It reflects the region’s rapid changes and upheavals in political, religious, social and cultural life while often balancing a celebration and critique of tradition. The result is some of the most visually experimental photographic practice today.  This exhibition is a survey showing myriad talents, and incorporates a wide range of styles and approaches that is richly rewarding, ranging from journalism, staged narratives, montage and fine art practice.