Eighteen young Emirati women from Dubai Women’s College (DWC) will showcase their photographs at Dubai Community Theater and Arts Centre (DUCTAC) in an exhibition entitled “Private(ly)”. From photographs exploring private fantasies of power to others expressing the intense fear of violence, each photo lets us into a private and personal truth for these young local women. The opening reception of the exhibit is at 7pm on June 2, 2010 and all exhibiting photographers will be present. The event is sponsored by the arts organization Tashkeel—founded and directed by Shaikha Lateefa Bint Maktoum.
Shaikha Lateefa Bint Maktoum and Jill Hoyle, Tashkeel General Manager, met with students this week to review their work and offer their feedback and guidance. Shaikha Lateefa, an accomplished artist herself, advised students to “push themselves” when exploring a concept artistically and not “just take the easy way out” by relying on a clichéd or classically western visual language. Students will digitally print all their photographs at Tashkeel as well as being introduced to the excellent services and facilities that Tashkeel offers local artists.
The theme for the exhibit was developed by Shammi Samano—the co-curator and DWC faculty of the photography course for which the photographs were taken. Ms. Samano explained her inspiration for the exhibit in the following way: “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. “ The show is co-curated by Ms. Fathima Mohiuddin, Special Project Manager at DUCTAC, who has also been instrumental in guiding and preparing students for their first ever exhibit.
“This is my first step into expressing my creativity. I know that after this exhibition, my life will never be the same again,” said one of the exhibiting student photographers Maryam Al Sharif. This exhibition promises to be a unique glimpse into the lives and art of young Emirati women.
