Xposure 2020
The region’s premier photography festival is postponed, but the show goes on.
Sharjah’s Xposure International Photography Festival has been rescheduled to February 10-13 because of Covid-19. While some events and exhibitions have shifted online, “live, in-person interactions, workshops and activities are a major part of this festival’s offerings, which is why we preferred to push the dates of the fifth edition rather than changing the festival’s format,” says Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council.
The festival did though launch a series of online photography workshops in July led by photographer and filmmaker, David Newton. Many of the acclaimed photographers planned for September will exhibit in February, including Steve McCurry, James Nachtwey, Tom Stoddart, Paula Bronstein and Chris Rainier. Another is Sohail Karmani, a professor at New York University Abu Dhabi, who came to photography through an urgent drive to document his ancestral hometown, Sahiwal, Pakistan.
The son of Pakistani immigrants, Karmani grew up in the UK. He never visited his ancestral home until 2010, on a short trip from Abu Dhabi. Although he stood out in his father’s untouristy hometown, his fluency in Urdu and Punjabi allowed him to talk to people about their lives and to capture candid photographs. The result is a book, The Spirit of Sahiwal, published in February by Skira Editore.
Xposure is calling for submissions for the Timothy Allen Photography Scholarship Award and the Xposure International Photography and Film Awards. The closing date for both is September 23. —Catherine Mazy
Photo above: Sohail Karmani captured a tea shop in Sahiwal.
To see more images go to: www.xposure.ae
