The Empty Quarter, Dubai's favorite destination for those who admire meaningful photography, returns to showcase yet another eclectic and thought-provoking collection from seven of the finest photography talents from around the world.
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Vietnam Ethnic Minorities: Farmer in rice field, 2010 © Jack Dabaghian
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Julia Fullerton-Batten
Perhaps very few
photo-artists have explored the adolescent female psyche as diligently
as London-based Julia Fullerton-Batten. Known for her evocative series,
which delved into the transition of a teenage girl to womanhood, Julia
returns with yet another unsettling theme. "Mothers & Daughters"
sees her tackling the complexity of female, inter-personal
relationships by illustrating, sometimes dramatically, the intensity in
this special, but oft-times complicated pairing.
The new photographic narrative is a fitting follow-up to Fullerton-Batten's previous collections, Teenage Stories (2005), School Play (2007), In-between (2008-09) and Awkward (2011), where she captured the emotional angst and intensity of her young models after placing them in complex environments
In
her latest project, "Mother and Daughters" (2012) Julia has tackled the
complexity of female, inter-personal relationships. "I chose to work
with real mother and daughter pairs in their own environment, rather
than with models or actors," she says. "I only needed to orchestrate the
sitters moderately to show the essence of their emotional bond. We
created their own small world together, at the same time, through the
staging of the scene, reviving for me memories of my own family's
relationships."
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Mothers & Daughters: Departure, 2012 © Julia Fullerton-Batten
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Shiva Haji Ebrahim Araghi
Iranian photographer
Shiva Araghi is one of the few talents whose creations both mesmerize
as well as deliver a powerful message – all in a traditional setting.
Her creations fuse elements found in street fashion photography with
traditional conceptual Iranian culture, and produces a unique
perspective into the world of Middle Eastern women.
Shiva's subjects express
themselves eloquently and movingly through their chic and stylish sense
of fashion, and they choose to be bold and daring in their look. The
women in Shiva's photographs are not just models wearing fashionable
apparel but are also communicating their own individual personalities in
a unique manner. The underlying statement from her photographs is that
women contribute immensely in the evolution of any culture while
remaining mindful of their traditions and culture.
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The Shedding of the Skin, 2010 © Shiva Haji Ebrahim Araghi
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Jack Dabaghian
Perhaps very few photographers in the Middle East can boast of as
diverse a portfolio as Dubai-based veteran French photographer Jack
Dabaghian. After winning acclaim for covering the world of fashion,
corporate, conflict, travel, commercial, automobile and sports for more
than 28 years, Dabaghian showcases the political side of his talent
through his latest exhibits.
For his new collection,
Dabaghian travelled to Vietnam where he captured the expression of the
ethnic tribes who are slowly losing their identity to globalisation and
whose very survival is being threatened by the Vietnamese government's
uncontrolled tourism drive. Dabaghian unfolds a brilliant mix of
story-telling and colourful visualisation, while showcasing tribal
traditions, fashion and daily routines – all told with unfettered
honesty
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Vietnam Ethnic Minorities: Tran Pham, 2012 © Jack Dabaghian
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Al-Moutasim Al-Maskeri
Acclaimed Omani
photographer Al-Moutasim Al-Maskeri explores the age-old question of
gender identity in his latest collection, conjuring a rich blend of
black-and-white portrait photography mixed with enigma. While creating a
fascinating visage of young individuals, the young photographer
visualises a definitive scenario, where his subjects – mostly young
Omani people – seem to be speaking directly to his lens.
In WO-Men, Al-Moutasim
questions the evolution of male and female identities as a result of
globalisation – all told in stunning detail and simplicity. His
excellent play of light and shade shows that even black-and-white
photography can engage an audience.
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WO-Men, 2012 © Al-Moutasim Al-Maskeri
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Leland Bobbé
For over 30 years, New Yorker Leland Bobbé has charmed both the fine art
and commercial worlds with his poignant, award-winning photographs,
which have won him rave reviews at galleries around the world. With a
story behind every creation, his images delve underneath the visible
surface of the world we see and provide a glimpse of a hidden dimension
that lies beneath.
This time, Bobbé will
present his most recent retrospective, titled "Half-Drag . . . A
Different Kind of Beauty," part of an ongoing series of evocative
portraits of drag queens in half drag. While experimenting with light
and shadow, the collection suffuses both the male and the female
personalities of his models into one image, with the explicit intention
of breaking down the physical barriers that separate the genders.
Through his vivid imagery and make-up styles, Bobbé invites the viewer
to a magical journey that encompasses drama, provocation, flurry and
improvisation.
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Half Drag, 2012 © Leland Bobbé
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Tableaux: Passover, 2012 © Tor Seidel
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Tor Seidel
Acclaimed German photographer Tor Seidel presents a series of carefully
composed photographs that examines human behaviour at multiple levels of
interpretation. In his compositions, or photographic tableaux, Seidel
explores the effect of different environments and conditions on human
behaviour, highlighting emotions such as fear, desire, weakness and
enlightenment with great dexterity.
Seidel's portraits show models creating a virtual mask of their
identities while expressing their desire to gain something or waiting
for someone. This inherent quality, and the dark imagery, sets the tone
for most of the photographic settings in his creations.
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Sommarkyrkan, Stockholm, Sweden, 2010 © Isabel Tallos
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Isabel Tallos
Taking the Empty
Quarter's new exhibition to an altogether new level is Spanish
photographer Isabel Tallos, who redefines space and shape elements with
reference to the human body. Her most recent series focuses on how the
human body can adapt itself when forced into closed-space scenarios. Set
into these strict guidelines, Tallos constrains her subjects into a
single plane, capturing fragments of time imperceptible to the human eye
within the limited frame.
The relationship between the characters and the spaces containing them is the essence of this artist's creative expression. Tallos' characters appear to be neutral and do not have any particular expression on their faces. The photographs, however, are open to the imagination, while the dream-like and poetic emphasis can surprise the viewer.
The relationship between the characters and the spaces containing them is the essence of this artist's creative expression. Tallos' characters appear to be neutral and do not have any particular expression on their faces. The photographs, however, are open to the imagination, while the dream-like and poetic emphasis can surprise the viewer.
"Identity" - The Empty Quarter Gallery
October 16 - November 30, 2012
Drama & Celebration: international photography
Leland Bobbé - Isabel Tallos - Jack Dabaghian - Tor Seidel
Al-Moutasim Al-Maskeri - Shiva Haji Ebrahim Araghi - Julia Fullerton-Batten
Drama & Celebration: international photography
Leland Bobbé - Isabel Tallos - Jack Dabaghian - Tor Seidel
Al-Moutasim Al-Maskeri - Shiva Haji Ebrahim Araghi - Julia Fullerton-Batten
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