Vantage Point Sharjah 2 at SAF Art Spaces, Sharjah
© Yazan Khalili
A couple of months ago, there was a call for submission from the Sharjah Art Foundation to submit photos following the theme of "Portraits and People in the UAE" for the second Vantage Point exhibition.
A selection was made last month and the exhibition opens later this week, on Saturday, 30th August in Building GH, SAF Art Spaces, Al Mureijah, Heritage Area in Sharjah at 6.30pm.
Vantage Point Sharjah 2 is the second iteration of one of Sharjah Art Foundation’s initiatives focused on public programming and community outreach. VPS2 started with an open call announced in June 2014 to photographers residing in the UAE.
This year the open call invited photographers to submit works centred on the theme of portraits and people and received a large number of applications from professional photographers, artists and students.
Vantage Point Sharjah 2 presents a broad selection of works, the aim of the programme is to foster the development of local photographers and encourage engagement with the cultural community in the Emirates.
I am happy to say yours truly is included in this exhibition. So if you're in the neighbourhood, please drop by and say hello.
Following the opening, there will be a film screening of the feature-length documentary film Flying Paper by Nitin Sawhney and Roger Hill at 8.30pm in Building P at SAF’s art spaces in Al Mureijah.
Flying Paper is the uplifting story of Palestinian children in Gaza on a quest to shatter the Guinness World Record for the most kites ever flown. It showcases the creative resilience of these children making and flying kites despite the odds. The film has been co-produced with young Palestinians in Gaza trained by the filmmakers through a youth media program called Voices Beyond Walls.
While the record-breaking event is what drives the film’s narrative arc, it is the everyday stories of the young kite makers that will touch audiences through their humor and playful spirit. The film seeks to humanize the conflict through a touching cinematic rendering of the fascinating kite culture among children as a form of creative resistance in Gaza.
Event details
Dates: 30th August - 3rd December 2014 (opening night, Saturday, 30th August 2014 at 6.30pm | film screening at 8.30pm
Venue: Building GH, SAF Art Spaces, Al Mureijah, Heritage Area (location map)
Free entry.
www.sharjahart.org/exhibitions-events/current-upcoming-events/vantage-point-sharjah-2
www.sharjahart.org/exhibitions-events/current-upcoming-events/flying-paper