A special exhibition in Dubai put on by an all-female collective is celebrating the role of women both behind and in front of the camera.
Rawiya, which translates to ‘she who tells a story’, is a collective of four female photographers who all have roots in the Middle East.
Unlike most of the images coming out of the region in recent months and years, the collective focusses on the peaceful normality of life in certain Arab societies.
Maryam Abdelaziz, Tamara Abdul Hadi, Laura Boushnak and Tanya Habjouqa offically lauched Rawiya in the UK in March 2011 and have since gone on to show their work throughout the world.
The Dubai exhibition, showing at the Gulf Photo Plus gallery, Alserkal Avenue, until October 18, features images of various topics including women in education in Yemen and scenes of daily existence in Palestine.
Currently based in Egypt, Jordan, Tunis and East Jerusalem respectively, the collective “seeks to present an insider’s view of a region in flux”.
Visit Gulf Photo Plus to find out more.
Below: The National’s Razan Al Zayani interviews Laura Boushnak and Tamara Abdul Hadi
