Vantage Point Sharjah 11 to spotlight emerging photographers from Africa and Asia

The exhibition will run from October to January at the Old Al Diwan Al Amiri in Sharjah’s Al Hamriyah

Vantage Point is returning to Sharjah on October 14. Picture is the work of Mohamed Mahdy chronicling the plight of fishing communities in Alexandria. All Photos: Sharjah Art Foundation

The exhibition aims to support photographers who are in the early stage of their careers. Pictured: A picture from Yashna Kaul's The Image World, 2018–2022

It will also spotlight artists born in Africa and Asia, or who currently reside in either continent or are part of their diaspora. Pictured: Postbox Ghana's Got my city on my back, 2021–2022

Yashna Kaul's The Image World, 2018–2022

Postbox Ghana's Muddy stories, 2023

Other images from Postbox Ghana's Muddy stories, 2023

Clea Rekhou's Monsieur, 2019–2020

Oumaima Abaraghe's History as they present it, 2022

Oumaima Abaraghe's The salted locust still leaps, 2022

Four emerging photographers and one collective will enjoy the spotlight at the 11th Vantage Point Sharjah.

Set to open on October 14, the exhibition will run until January 14 at the Old Al Diwan Al Amiri in Sharjah’s Al Hamriyah region. The exhibition aims to support photographers who are in the early stage of their careers, and who are born in Africa and Asia, or who currently reside in either continent or are part of their diaspora.

The featured artists were selected from a pool of 350 applicants. Though their work varies in subject and style, the photographers share certain commonalities, including their experimental approach, repurposing found or inherited photographs and their visual explorations of post-colonialism.

Hands of God, 2018–2022 by Yashna Kaul. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation

The artists include Casablanca-born photographer Oumaima Abaraghe, who uses collage approaches and digital processing to rebuild Morocco’s fragmented colonial archive.

Yashna Kaul, who was born in Mumbai, sifts through old family photo albums, shedding light on how specific moments inform personal and collective memories.

Giza-born photographer Mohamed Mahdy, meanwhile, chronicles the plight of fishing communities in El Max, Alexandria.

Clea Rekhou, who was born in Paris, juxtaposes family photographs with accounts of generational violence.

The collective Postbox Ghana takes on postcard visuals from Ghana’s post-independence era and recontextualises them within the country’s current urban landscape.

Vantage Point Sharjah will highlight works by the photographers in two exhibitions. While one will present the individual processes and works, the other will be a communal space that puts their images in conversation, interweaving their photographic approaches.

This year, Vantage Point Sharjah is also introducing a one-on-one mentorship programme. Participants will be grouped with industry experts and cultural figures with the aim of ameliorating their skills and practice.

Launched in 2013 by the Sharjah Art Foundation, Vantage Point Sharjah has developed into a platform that celebrates multivarious approaches to the art of photography. Its artists embody disparate forms of photography, from visual essays and photojournalism to experimental pieces.