The Xposure 2021 International Photography Festival is returning to Sharjah for the fifth time. From February 10 to 13, more than 1,558 photos by 400 international photographers will be on display, with 51 of the photographers flying in to take part in the festival in person at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The event will feature 54 exhibitions, 21 public seminars and 14 workshops by the photographers themselves as well as other key figures in the industry. There will be many hands-on learning and training opportunities, with eight focus groups and 14 expert-led portfolio reviews available to aspiring photographers in the UAE who attend.
As part of this year’s festival, Gallery X, a permanent gallery in Sharjah hosting work from world-renowned photographers who have participated in the Xposure International Photography Festival, will be launched.
“With a permanent exhibition, a merchandise line, workshops and activities that will be held all year, Gallery X aims to cultivate the learning, sharing and celebration of photography,” wrote the festival in an Instagram post.
The full roster of events will be announced on Monday February 8.
Both emerging and established photography talents will be honoured through three awards that will be given out at the festival. Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi a special award for photojournalists with press credentials, “in recognition of their fearless devotion to documenting health crises, conflicts, natural and manmade disasters,” According to UAE state news agency WAM.
“We owe much to photojournalists who are relentless in their efforts to offer us a window into important changes taking place worldwide, and who allow us to relate to the varied experiences of people from different countries and cultures. Their work has been far more notable in the past year since the outbreak of COVID-19 has created unprecedented circumstances globally,” said Al Qasimi.
Among the photographers who are set to attend the fifth edition of the festival are Ana Caroline de Lima, an artist, anthropologist and renowned photographer whose life’s work has revolved around the sacred worlds of indigenous people, nature and wildlife photographer Mohammad Murad, born in 1976 in Kuwait, and International Photography Award-winning photographer Brian Hodges, who will be exhibiting work shot in Northern Uganda.
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