Images from all over the region and beyond are part of this year’s Gulf Photo Plus show. Scenes such as a fisherman in Karachi casting his line, a group of labourers riding their bicycles down a Dubai street, a studio portrait taken in Italy and giant green balls on the front of a building in Dublin are just some of those selected for the annual community exhibition at Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai.
Every year, the exhibition is the result of an open call under a specific theme. This year, to celebrate colour photography, GPP invited the photography community to present their work under the title RGB (Red, Green and Blue).
Such an open category threw the doors open for submissions on a wide range of subject matter – abstract photography, landscapes, portraits, still-life and street photography – and the gallery received 1,500 images from 300 participants. These were whittled down to 60 images from 50 photographers, which went on display yesterday in the Alserkal Avenue gallery.
“We connect with so many people from all over the region through our events and workshops. The annual show is a chance to showcase their work and put the spotlight back on to them,” says Miranda McKee, the GPP gallery manager. “In this show, we have people who are beginners and new to photography, as well as professionals who are constantly working on their technique. It is really exciting for us.”
In what McKee describes as a “visual dialogue” between the gallery and the community in the UAE and internationally, she says the images were chosen for their “unique” quality.
The exhibition also offers an opportunity for the photographers that they perhaps would not otherwise have.
“It’s a pleasure when an important institution like Gulf Photo Plus thinks that your pictures deserve to be displayed among some real works of art,” says Luca Lombardi, who moved to Dubai from Italy last year. “It is also important because, being new in the city, it’s a chance to have my work seen by professionals and artists.”
Emirati Amani Al Shaali, whose work carries a sense of mystery and intrigue, says the exhibition gives her a sense of belonging. “Taking part in events at GPP makes me feel like I belong to a community, and not just a community of photographers, but photography lovers and enthusiasts as well. So although being selected for this exhibition is an honour and a privilege, I would have supported it even if I wasn’t selected. The people at GPP are my second family.”
• RGB runs until July 25 at GPP, Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. Visit gulfphotoplus.com
aseaman@thenational.ae
