Gulf dreams and Palestinian portraits: Vantage Point Sharjah turns lens on intimate lives
The reflective strips of his oil worker’s uniform are dazzling. Light splays from his wrists and shoulders, and this outpouring exalts him in the monochrome image, makes him larger than life. We see the man as his son sees him. The boy hangs from his father’s grip, legs crossed in playful acrobatics. He looks up at him in glee, in reverence. The man is just about to leave for work and the boy…
The annual Vantage Point 13 exhibition in Sharjah, now held every two years, showcases the intimate lives of workers in the Gulf. Sathish Kumar's Bond series features his brother, an oil worker, and their family in Abu Dhabi, juxtaposing life in the industrial Al Ruwais city complex with the construction of their home in Bengaluru.
These photographs, taken with a point-and-shoot camera, capture the family's daily moments and the construction site with equal intimacy. Printed on metal sheets, the images aim to fill the pages of a family album. The exhibition also features Saudi artist Latifa Al Bokhari's You’re a Woman Now, exploring the pivotal moments in a woman's life in the region through images of wedding preparations, jewellery selection, and cultural traditions.
Brazilian photographer Luisa Dorr's Escaramuza presents the artistry and physical demands of charreria, the Mexican equestrian sport, with portraits of women riders in powerful stances. The dark alcove of the gallery houses experimental works, such as Beijing-born artist Guanyu Xu's kaleidoscopic domestic interiors, and Ethiopian photographer Mahe's Endinastawis Anirsa (Lest We Forget), a tribute to the country's history.
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