[This is a monthly roundup of articles on photography in the Middle East and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Photography Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in roundups to photos@jadaliyya.com.]
Announcements:
Exhibition and talks: “Stories of Change,”
15 October - 15 December 2014 at Contemporary Image Collective, Cairo
Opening: 15 October 2014, 11 am
The exhibition runs Sundays to Thursdays (11 am - 5 pm).
The project shows the work of North African photographers and multimedia journalists, who took part over two years in the Reporting Change project, organized by World Press Photo and Human Rights Watch.
Talks by four of the photographers are as follows:
Ahmed Hayman: 22 October 2014, 7 pm
Muhannad Lamin: 16 November 2014, 7 pm
Mohamed Ali Eddin: 4 December 2014, 7 pm
Mosa’ab Elshamy: 14 December 2014, 7 pm
Exhibition: “Next To Here: Young Photographers from North Africa and the Middle East,” 28 September - 5 November 2014 at Contemporary Image Collective, Cairo
The exhibition runs Saturdays - Wednesdays (12 - 9 pm).
The exhibition “Next to Here” presents eighteen photographic works by young documentary photographers from North Africa and the Middle East. The works originated in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and in the United Arab Emirates. The works were produced in the context of ten photography workshops in MENA organized by the Goethe-Institut and its local partners in 2013 and 2014.
On Gaza:
Gallery: Loss is Loss, Pain Has No Nation, Ideas.Ted.Com
A selection of photojournalist Eman Mohammed’s powerful portraits of people who lost loved ones in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Eman Mohammed: The Courage to Tell a Hidden Story, TED
Gaza photographer Eman Mohammed’s TED talk.
On Egypt:
Urban History and the Authority of Images, Cairo Observer
An article about the circulation of historical photos of Cairo in social media and how nostalgia for an imagined past can affect the way viewers read them.
Through the lens: a dreamlike-Egypt, New Internationalist
An interview with photographer Laura el-Tantawy about photographing in Cairo.
Young Photojournalist Amanda Mustard on Life in Cairo, Feature Shoot
Photos and interview with Mustard about living and working in Cairo.
Hunger Strike, Mada Masr, Panorama
Photo essay and text about the young hunger strikers in Egypt who are protesting for the release of political detainees.
On Syria:
Photographer Captures Tens of Thousands Fleeing ISIS, Entering Turkey, National Geographic
Photos and interview with John Stanmeyer about the mass exodus of Syrians into Turkey.
Whoever Saves a Life, Medium
A story with words, videos, and photos about the Civil Defense team, Syria’s first responders.
Syrian Eyes of the World: Portraits of Syrians made by Syrian photographers around the world
Exactly what it sounds like.
On Iran:
Keeping True to an Iranian Vision, Minus Big Money, New York Times, Lens Blog
Photos and article about Newsha Tavakolian’s dedication to truthful storytelling in Iran.
Newsha Tavakolian versus Carmignac, L’Oeil de la Photographie
A statement from Newsha Tavakolian about why she initially stepped down as the winner of the Carmignac Gestion Award.
In Iran, Mothers Dream of Missing Sons, New York Times, Lens Blog
Photos and article about Fatemeh Behboudi’s project “Mothers of Patience” in which she photographed twenty Iranian mothers who have lost sons in the Iran-Iraq War.
Iranian Fathers and Daughters, LensCulture
Photographs and text by Nafise Motlaq.
Iranian Coal Miners, AP Images
Photos by Ebrahim Noroozi.
Other:
Photo Exhibit Restores Dignity to Victims of U.S. Torture, The Intercept
A description and photos from Chris Bartlett’s exhibit “Iraqi Detainees: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Goals” now on display in New York.
Four Questions About Contemporary Arab Art, Hyperallergic
Hrag Vartanian reviews the exhibition “Here and Elsewhere” at the New Museum in New York City.
Mirror Worlds: Here and Elsewhere at the New Museum, Ibraaz
Stephanie Bailey reviews the exhibition “Here and Elsewhere” at the New Museum in New York City.
Sahara Rocks, Mashallah News
French reporter Arnaud Contreras photographed the Saharan people over the past 15 years.
Seized Land in Palestine, Al Jazeera In Pictures
Photos of the village of Wadi Fukin and the land seized by Israel, which resulted in the eviction of the residents.
Covering the Islamic State, AFP
Thoughts on how to balance the dignity of victims, reporters’ safety, the duty to inform the public, and avoid spreading propaganda when reporting on the Islamic State.
Abstraction of the real: Oliver Hartung’s photographs of Middle Eastern landscapes offer a different take on a troubled region, British Journal of Photography
Photos and interview with Hartung about his mostly people-less photos of urban and rural landscapes around the region.
Majid Saeedi: Life in War, L’Oeil de la Photographie
Interview with Saeedi about his photographs of daily life in Afghanistan.
The Arab Image Foundation, 2014, Nafas Art Magazine
An overview of the recent work of artist members of the Arab Image Foundation.