Cabinet of Curiosities | Photographs of the UAE by Jaime Puebla
Presented in the form of a collection as early as the sixteenth century, a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ aimed to bring attention to peculiar items. A precursor to today’s museums, these ‘wonder rooms’ exhibited objects the collector found stimulating; items that could appear mundane to some, and extraordinary to others. Puebla’s collection of photographs captured within the UAE look beyond the obvious perspective, instead depicting subtleties discovered off the beaten path.
Puebla’s compositions demonstrate an extraordinary eye for color, paired with minimalist sensibilities resulting in images that immediately seize your attention, yet allow your imagination to wander. From the bizarre to the banal, the beautiful to bewildering, Puebla photographs the UAE’s endless barrage of visual hyperboles, peaking the viewer’s interest yet withholding the ending to each narrative.
A resident and photojournalist for The National Newspaper for the last six years, Puebla is no longer blinded by the gleaming surface of this relatively newborn nation. With an inquisitive eye, Puebla has documented the intriguing characters that have crossed his path; from the eccentric expatriate to the humble work force laborer, the UAE National and all those in between.
Opening night for Jaime Puebla’s Cabinet of Curiosities will be held November 18 from 7:30pm onwards in Gulf Photo Plus, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz. The exhibition is free to visit and open to the public from November 18 to December 19, 2013.
About Jaime Puebla
Born in Santiago, Chile in 1972, Jaime Puebla studied photojournalism at the ALPES institute graduating in 1992. After working for local newspapers for a number of years, Puebla joined the Associate Press in 1998 where he began covering Latin American issues in El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. In 2006 he became the photo editor for Gatopardo Magazine, where he also secured funding from the Ministry of Culture in Chile, which he used support a photo project about syncretism in the religious rites of Mexico. In 2008 The National Newspaper launched in Abu Dhabi, and Puebla took up a position as Staff Photographer, where he has worked for the
last six years.
Puebla’s personal projects focus on documenting everyday events, presenting them in an extraordinary and surreal light. Inspired by the likes of Josef Koudelka and William Eggleston, Puebla highlights curious moments, emphasizing them with minimalist sensibilities. His exhibition in Gulf Photo Plus will be the first solo show of his work. To see more of his work, visit www.jaimepuebla.com.