[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:
Photo Exhibit: Third Eye, Photography Exhibit, Cairo, Egypt
Mashrabia Gallery. Opening 14 December at 19:00.
14 December – 13 January 2015.
Third Eye presents work by young photographers Sherifa Hamid, Tasnim Abdel Rahman, Nadia Mounir, Amr Adel, Ziad Tarek Hassan.
Photo Exhibit: Basim Magdy: Measuring The Last Breaths Of Time On A Fading Scale, Cairo, Egypt
Gypsum Gallery. 18 November – 13 January 2015
Exhibit: Emily Jacir select works from 1998-2014, Amman, Jordan
Darat Al Funun. 4 November – 23 April 2015
An extensive survey of Emily Jacir’s film and video works, installations, and sculpture.
Exhibit: Akram Zaatari, Istanbul, Turkey
SALT Beyoğlu. 2 December – 18 February 2015
A major survey exhibition by Akram Zaatari.
Photo Exhibit: The Beginnings of the Nation, Dubai, UAE
Empty Quarter Gallery. 30 November – 31 December 2014.
Photographs of the United Arab Emirates by Dutch photographer Anita Van der Krol. In 1975, the wife of a Dutch dredging engineer, Anita Van der Krol was living as an expat in Jumeirah. Rather naively, she ventured out to the villages, souks and sandy desert, with two small children in tow and managed to win the confidence and respect of the hundreds of people she met while photographing their way of life.
Photo Exhibit: The Sacred Paths, Kuwait
Contemporary Art Platform Kuwait. 26 October – 4 January 2015
The exhibit showcases thirteen photographers from the Middle East, mostly acclaimed photojournalists, whose work documents their journeys through various countries in the region.
Photo Exhibit: Shahriar Khonsari, Loviisa, Finland
Loviisa Art Center. 13 November - 28 December 2014
Photographs exploring the lives of Afghan refugees in Iran.
Call For Entries, Istanbul Photo Awards, Andolou Images
For professional photographers only. Entries must be submitted between 1 November and 31 January 2015.
Book: Evidence by Diana Matar at Schilt Publishing
Evidence is the culmination of six years work on political disappearance by the photographer Diana Matar. Years ago the artist`s father-in-law, a Libyan opposition leader, was kidnapped by the Egyptian secret service and handed over to the Gaddafi regime; he has been missing ever since. Crafted as an homage to one man, the book shows the cruel effects of dictatorship on intimate relationships and family life.
On Egypt:
Yes, I’m a Dancer, Al-Masry Al-Youm
Documentary photo essay of the different facets of Cairene dancers’ lives.
Meet Cairo International Film Festival’s First Edition: 1976, Ahram Online
Photos from the first international film festival in Egypt.
Hunger Strike, Mada Masr, Panorama
Photographs of the hunger strikes in protest of unjust incarceration in Egypt.
Egypt’s 1952 revolution and military rule, a history in photos, Denver Post
Archival photos from 1952 - 1981.
On Iran:
Breathtaking Photos of Elizabeth Taylor’s 1976 Trip to Iran, Dangerous Minds
In 1976 Iran Air organized a trip to Iran for actress Elizabeth Taylor, which was photographed by Iranian-American photographer Firooz Zahedi.
Faces and Places in Iran: Iranian photography at the turn of the 19th century, British Library
A blog post describing a collection of historical images of Iran.
On Palestine:
Gaza Panorama, Roads and Kingdoms
Photos of Gazans in their destroyed homes after the summer 2014 assault, by Kyrre Lien.
When School is Illegal, Al Jazeera, In Pictures
Photo essay about the possible demolition of the Khan al-Ahmar School in the West Bank that serves the children of the Jahalin Bedouin community.
We Are All Palestinians, Al Jazeera, In Pictures
Photo essay of Qalandia International, an art festival in Ramallah that attracted more than one hundred artists.
From the Rubble: Farmers in Gaza on Rebuilding a Livelihood after War, The Washington Post
Article and photos about olive farmers.
A Side of Palestinian Life That Usually Doesn’t Make it into the News, Slate
Article and selection of photos from Tanya Habjouqa’s project on daily life among Palestinians.
Understanding the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Through Photographic Activism, LensCulture
A selection of photos by the collective ActiveStills on social justice issues in both Palestinian and Israeli communities across Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Paralympics in Palestine, Al Jazeera, In Pictures
A sports league for those with permanent physical disabilities began after the First Intifada.
Cinema Filistin, Mashallah News
German photographer Julius Matuschik examines Palestinian cinema culture in his photographs of the last remaining theaters.
On Syria (and Syrian refugees):
Za’atari: New Lives, Noor Images
Alixandra Fazzina documents births, weddings and other daily life moments in Za’atari, a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan.
“When We Garden We Feel Happy,” In Pictures, Al Jazeera
Syrian refugees in Zaatari Camp in Jordan have begun gardening to cope with their losses and adapt to their new lives.
Pictures: Inside the Siege of Kobane, Newsweek
A collection of photos from inside Kobane, the city on the Syrian-Turkish border under siege by ISIS by Kurdish photographer Veysi Altay.
The Islamic State and Photography, Aperture
About ISIL’s uses of photography.
Syria in 1940: Crossroads of the Middle East During WWII, Life.com
Photographs of Syria for Life magazine taken by Margaret Bourke-White in 1940.
Other:
The Many Faces of Libya, Qantara
A selection of photos focused on revealing the diversity of ethnic and tribal groups in Libya.
Marrakech is set to become photography`s global HQ – so why aren`t locals happy?, The Guardian
Plans for the Marrakech Museum for Photography and Visual Art and the local response.
25 Amazing Photos from Hajj 1953, Ilmfeed
Photos of what it was like to perform Hajj sixty years ago.
Armenians and Armenian Photographers in the Ottoman Empire, The Public Domain Review
Short exploration of Armenian involvement in photography in the nineteenth century Ottoman Empire.
Kurdish Refugees: Then and Now, The National
Kurdish refugees since 1991 to the current day.
Tripoli’s souks come back to life, Al-Akhbar
Photos of Tripoli, Lebanon as daily city life resumes after fighting.
Taking Pictures: A Way for Photographers to Protect their Work, The New Yorker
Describes how photographers are learning to protect their work in a digital age.
Pierre Bourdieu’s Photographs of Wartime Algeria, Open Culture
Pictures and a short article about photos taken by Pierre Bourdieu during the Algerian War in the late 1950s and early 60s.
This Photo Series Explores the Bedrooms of Girls in the Middle East and US, Buzzfeed
Lebanese photographer Rania Matar depicts girls’ bedrooms in her exhibit “A Girl and Her Room.”
Return to the Marshes, Panos Pictures
Photos by Carolyn Drake of the Madan people in Iraq who have returned to their marshland home.
Discordia: The Arab Spring, The New Yorker
Photographer Moises Saman takes his images from The Arab Spring to create collages in his project called Discordia.
A Train Ride Through Time: From Iraq’s Checkered Past into an Uncertain Future, The New York Times
Article and photos about Iraq’s history with trains and how it is affected by political dysfunction, violence, and other factors.
Follow the Everyday Lives of Artists in Kabul, Time Lightbox
Images and text provide an intimate look into lives of musicians, actors, and artists in Kabul in the book “The Little Book.”