These works will be shown at 46 indoor exhibitions that will feature 38 solo galleries comprising 744 images, and eight group exhibitions with 264 images by 206 photographers. There will also be three Xposure Contest/Award exhibitions showing 69 images and seven short films chosen from 67 entrants, presenting a unique opportunity for enthusiasts of this medium to see works by many of the best as well as emerging photographers from across the world.

The organisers of the festival, Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), announced that the photographs which will be showcased at the free exhibitions will comprise memorable entries from the portfolios of award-winning photographers as well as ground-breaking images that have created headlines over the world. Each selection would be a tribute to the art form.

Four main themes

The selection of photographs for the exhibitions will be under the categories of Art, Wildlife, Photojournalism, Street, Nature and General. A new dimension is being introduced at Xposure this year with these sessions being divided into four main themes - Xpose Art, Xpose Emotion, Xpose Adventure and Xpose Life.

From climate change to fashion, politics to nature and wildlife and human disasters as well as natural calamities, the exhibitions will cover the gamut of life on this planet through pictures that will provoke and give the visitor a fresh perspective on life and the workings of the human mind.

State of the world

‘A Fragile World’ by Florian Ledoux will celebrate the beauty of the Arctic and the Antarctica and the incredible wildlife living in the polar regions, with some stunning aerial photography.
Amer Alali showcases the difficult lives of grandparents in his ‘A Portrait of Heritage’. In ‘Big Cats’, award-winning wildlife photographer Steve Winter takes us from the Himalayas to the Rockies in the USA and the Amazon to reveal elusive wild cats in their natural habitat. ‘Childhood Lost’ by Antonio Aragon Renuncio documents the lost lives of the children forced to work in Burkino Faso’s killing gold mines.

Photography in many forms

Afshin Ismaeli’s ‘Conflict and Human Tragedy’ focuses on the relationship between storytelling, photography and conflict, during armed conflicts in Iraq and Syria. ‘Crisis’ by Petros Giannakouris paints a mosaic of fire and violence, protest and suffering, perseverance and hope, of life in Greece during the financial crisis. National Geographic photographer Ira Block shares his passion for the Cuban people and their love of baseball in the exhibition ‘Cuba Loves Baseball’. In ‘Day to Night’, Stephen Wilkes compresses the best moments of a day and night from 1,500 photographs into a single image. Nature photographer Frans Lanting’s ‘Eye to Eye with Life’ showcases intimate portraits of animals that reveal the kinship of all life on earth. Photographer Mike Browne will be presenting his exhibition titled “Hot & Cold”.

Gulf News photographer Sankha Kar’s ‘Fluid Moment’ is an up-close encounter with a common everyday object – water - which will change the viewer’s perspective about it. Jeffrey Garriock and Rob B Wilson ‘Generations of Chernobyl’ documents the lives of the present inhabitants of the nuclear disaster site. Xavier Portela uses colour in anime style in his ‘Glow’, a collection of images of cities captured by night. Laurel Chor’s ‘Health in Harmony: Planet in Disharmony’ aims to go behind the controversy to show what traditional Chinese medicine really is, who uses it, why, and how it is really affecting the planet. ‘I am Light’ by Gabriel Wickbold seeks new frontiers by playing on the border between fantasy and reality. Photographer Chris Suspet will showcase his exhibition titled “ Unpresidented”, while Omar Victor Diop exhibits “Read, Write,Create Africe”.

 

Against the elements

Will Burrard-Lucas documents Africa’s elusive large tuskers in the Kenyan reserves in ‘Land of Giants’. ‘Libyan Sugar’ is a record of Michael Christopher Brown’s road trip through a war zone in the background of the 2011 Libyan revolution. National Geographic photographer Cris Toala Olivares’ ‘Living in the Shadows’ is a mind-altering series about the life surrounding 10 volcanoes in different parts of the world. ‘Makoko Loko: Life on the Water’ is a document on the lives of a community situated on water in Lagos by Somi Nwandu. The founder of the Miami Street Photography Festival and Street Photo, Juan Jose Reyes, presents contemporary street photography depicting ordinary daily life in ‘My Street’ along with an exhibition that features the finalists of “Miami Street Photography Festival”.


Gregory Pol’s 'Nord et Blanc' (North and White) shows wild animals in a pure snowy atmosphere. Alice Wielinga’s ‘North Korea: A Life Between Propaganda and Reality’ unveils a kaleidoscopic reality, fragments of photographic observations entwined with segments from North Korean realistic artwork. Frankie Quinn depicts the ‘Peace Lines 1994-2019’ in Belfast that segregates Catholic and Protestant working-class populations and offers no lasting peace in his ‘Peace Lines’. In ‘Philography’, Richard Le Manz reflects on our habitat and protection of the environment. ‘Refraction of Fashion’ is a retrospective of underwater fashion photography images by Rafal Makiela. Ami Vitale will exhibit “The Guardians”.

 

Art and tragedy

‘Romanticism to the Mechanical Paradise’ is a two-part series by J Tomas Lopez, with warm-toned romantic photographs of artists, writers and photographers, and photographs depicting the subway system and riders in Paris. Chris Tuff pays homage to the elements in ‘Soul of the Sea’. Linus Escandor II’s ‘State of Emergency’ focuses on the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. ‘The Generalist’ by Joe McNally features a cross section of imagery generated from his assignments around the world. ‘The Land We Came’ honours Mobeen Ansari’s roots in Pakistan.

 

Aerial photographer Jason Hawkes presents a selection of his favourite views shot from around the world from a helicopter in ‘The View from Above’. Ziyad Alarfaj’s ‘The Face: Portraits from the Kingdom’, captures the true essence of professional Saudi women at their workplace. ‘Uncluttered Sobriety’ is a series of fine art photographs by Sajin Sasidharan, created based on an imaginary visualisation of the artist. ‘Undocumented’ is award-winning John Moore’s sum of the last decade that he spent photographing issues of undocumented immigration to the United States from Central America and Mexico. David Chancellor’s ‘With Butterflies and Warriors’ documents the fight between man and beast in the African wilderness, where the Samburu tribe tries to broker peace between the two.

 

Xposure International Photography festival competition nominees will also be exhibited for the public to enjoy.  Travel photographer of the Year will also display a number of photos from around the world photographers in an exhibition. The Mesopotamia Photo Club will participate in an exhibition titled “Fascinating Glances”. Timothy Allen Photography Scholraship Award and “Press Photo” by Union of Arab Photographers, “Allurement of Light” by Emirates Falcons Photography Society, Miles and Smiles by “Photo Connect” will also be a part of Xposure 2019 outstanding exhibitions.

 

More information on the exhibitions at Xposure 2019 is available at  https://xposure.ae/exhibitions-2019/

 

Xposure is the official photography platform that combines a broad range of photography activities with a consumer product Trade Show. Supported by internationally acclaimed professionals and industry experts, Xposure International Photography Festival offers many exciting opportunities to learn new skills and network with leading professionals and enthusiasts, along with the opportunity to see, handle and try the latest photographic products.