Private(ly) - photography exhibition
Short Life by Rouda Al Shamsi
PRIVATE(ly) is a photography exhibition showcasing work by 18 young Emirati women from Dubai Women’s College and exploring the private world of the girls of Dubai. From photographs exploring private fantasies for power to others expressing the intense fear of violence, each photo lets us into a private and personal truth for these young women.
Memories Left Behind by Alia Felasi
The concept was developed Shammi Samano from Dubai Women’s College and co-curated with Fathima Mohiuddin from DUCTAC. Samano explained her inspiration for the exhibit by saying “What’s fascinated me since I first arrived in Dubai was how thick the line is separating the public and private in local Emirati culture, much thicker than in the West. I wanted students to reflect on that separation by artistically exploring what is personally private to them and then sharing it in the very public space of an art gallery.”
Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum, an accomplished artist and Director of Tashkeel (an independent arts organisation and a resource for artists and designers living and working in the UAE and a sponsor of this exhibition) advised the students to push themselves when exploring a concept artistically and not "just take the easy way out" by relying on a cliched or classically western visual language.
Photographing women is still considered taboo by many in this part of the world, so I am really looking forward to this exhibition and curious to see the “private and personal truths” that will be expressed at this exhibition. I hope this is one small step to changes in the field of photography for women here.
Flithy Acts by Azza Al Owais
Exhibition details:
Dates: 2nd-9th June 2010 (opening on 2nd June at 7pm)
Location: DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates Dubai
Phone: 9714 341 4777