Slidefest 20 | Special Edition

Join GPP for a special edition of Slidefest - a night of personal photography projects filled with conversations, storytelling and new work from international, visiting, and locally-based photographers.

 

Slidefest #20 will take place at E46 (just a few doors down from GPP) in Alserkal Avenue, where photography finds itself in its natural environment of contemporary art. This event is FREE to attend.

 

Following are the projects that will be presented by the artists:

 

Tamara Abdul Hadi

Picture An Arab Man

Tamara Abdul Hadi discusses Picture an Arab Man, 2009-2014, a series in which she offered an alternative visual representation of the Arab Man- her own representation. A subject more relevant than ever, Abdul Hadi will show work relating to the project. 

 

Rand Abdul Jabbar
E11

E11 refers to the road weaving through the United Arab Emirates, stretching from its borders with Saudi Arabia to Oman. The project hopes to reveal nuances, narrate landscapes, and represent heterogeneity along the country’s main artery. As a result of extensive documentation of spaces, buildings and landscapes across the UAE, E11 aspires to paint a portrait of the country that challenges its typical representation.

The publication is structured as a glossary, pairing a selection of 26 photographs and words.

 

Tasneem Al Sultan
Saudi Tales of Love

Whilst Saudi Arabia is an international symbol of Islam, many Saudis would agree that there’s a strong disconnect between the Qur’an and local traditions. I wanted to answer question that many shared: Do we need marriage to signify that we have love? Do you need a husband to have a significant life?

 

Hala Al Ani
A Typology of Houses

The built environment has always been a direct indicator of the economic and cultural aspects of a society. Due to the accelerated development of certain social conditions, Dubai has given rise to an architectural and stylistic imitation that are a reaction to the level of anonymity associated with modernity and industrialization. Referencing recognizable, historical architecture styles is thought to be an appropriate strategy for portraying these social circumstances. Ascertaining this branding approach marks an emerging identity for the city as a whole and individuals in specific. 

 

Hassan Hajjaj

Karima

Hassan Hajjaj’s work over the years explores the how people of color are treated and represented in what is supposedly called the post-racial time. As I see it, at least his images are a response to the institutionalized racism that is prevalent throughout our media, consumer capitalism, as well as within popular culture. Hassan’s put together a selection of his portraits that typify his approach on portraiture and the work you are about to see is from three series’:

Noss Noss: street culture and portraits of Marrakech
Kesh Angels: A series that resulted from Hassan’s assisting at a magazine shoot where the photographer, models and clothes were from outside and just using Marrakech as an “exotic” prop so he started making portraits to flip that.
La Salle de Gym: The women photographed for this series are personal acquaintances of Hassan’s and they have been masked and dressed to represent fictional characters.

 

Mohamed Khalid Mohamed Jauffer
Dirty Messages

Mohamed Khalid will be presenting a series of images that he took when he stumbled upon of windows and glass panels in an abandoned building where people drew caricatures, left messages that expressed love for their countries, love for women, expressing emotions, opinions among others. 

 

Sara Lando
Digitalis Purpurea 

Digitalis purpurea is a short-lived perennial plant. The leaves, flowers and seeds of this plant are all poisonous and can be fatal if ingested. The same compound that makes the plant poisonous is also used as a medication for heart failure. This series is a reflection on the relationship between ideal beauty and the female body, about the perils and intoxication of existing through someone else’s eyes.