New photography from the Middle East is currently on display in London at a show that opened on 13 November at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In Light from the Middle East, the V&A Museum showcases photography by 30 visual artists hailing from 13 Middle Eastern countries, illustrating how these artists used photography to record, reframe, and resist the societal challenges and political transformations shaping the region in the past two decades.
The collection displays how artists from the region experiment with the art of photography. The result is a rich range of artwork in three categories: Recording, Reframing and Resisting.
Art by two Egyptian artists appear in the show. Nermine Hamman exhibits photographs from her post-revolutionary series ‘Upekkha’, in which she transports soldiers to a scenic setting away from the chaotic streets of Cairo. And Youssef Nabil, known for his ‘Hollywood on the Nile’ photography and film, in which he pays tribute to the golden era of Egyptian cinema, is also showcased.
The exhibition also features artwork from Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, among others. “Ranging from photojournalism to staged and digitally manipulated imagery, these artists offer multiple viewpoints appropriate to the complexities of a vast and diverse region,” according to V&A.
Light from the Middle East runs at the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) until 7 April.
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