Vantage Point Sharjah 10

The annual photography exhibition of Sharjah Art Foundation, selected from an open call, may not be the biggest local photographic show but has consistently proved to be one of the most interesting.

Since its introduction back in 2013 “to encourage public engagement with photography as an artistic medium”, VPS has evolved into a significant platform for up-and-coming photographers from traditionally underrepresented regions from around the world.

The exhibition includes works by 66 artists from 34 countries. For this 10th edition, VPS called for works that celebrate photography’s ability to perceive social realities through different perspectives. The resulting exhibition features different approaches to visual storytelling – from photojournalism and intimate photo essays to film, digital, and experimental work – which portray the diversity of contemporary lives.

The accompanying Vantage Point Photography Award had an international jury of prominent photographers – Solmaz Daryani, Lamya Gargash and Sohrab Hura – who selected a winner and four runners up. This year the first prize and $5,000 went to Md Fazla Rabbi Fatiq; the four runners-up, each receiving $1,500, were Hady Barry, Kirti Kumari, Morteza Niknahad and Neec Nonso.

The full list of exhibitors:

The exhibition is open to 11 December, 9am to 9pm Saturday to Thursday and 4pm-9pm on Fridays. Admisision is free, but advance registration is required.

Above: Maryam Firuzi, Najmeh Kazazi. From ‘Scattered memories of a distorted future’, 2021