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PHOTOS À LA CHAIR, an interactive art pop-up founded by Bahraini architect Ali Karimi and resident Lebanese photographer Camille Zakharia, will host its first Bahrain activation for the year on January 26 from 2pm to 3pm.
The duo collaborates with artists and together they come up with creative setups or backdrops at prominent and, sometimes, lesser known locations in Bahrain to create striking portraits. The upcoming session will be held at Kazerooni building in Manama.
The art pop-up is open to all and people can get their photos clicked as part of the stunning arrangements, interact with the artist, or simply enjoy being a spectator.
According to the creative duo, the idea behind the project is to get people talking about art in a casual environment instead of a formal set-up such as a gallery. It also aims to promote beautiful locations in Bahrain.
“We are working with Noor Alwan for this session and wanted to use her tapestries as a way of interacting with the loggias (corridors) and columns around the courtyard of this historic (Kazerooni) house that has been used as a warehouse in recent years,” Ali told GulfWeekly.
“We’ve known each other since 2017 and had participated in Al Riwaq’s The Nest that year. We’ve been wanting to do a Photos à la Chair with Noor since then and, following her solo show Sacred Practices at Al Riwaq, we reached out to see if she would be interested,” Ali revealed.
Based between Bahrain and the UAE, Noor’s work has been exhibited in group shows across Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UK. A graduate from the University of Manchester, she has a Masters in Architecture from the University at Buffalo with a specialisation in inclusive art. She was awarded third place in the 45th Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition in 2019 and was a recipient of the Misk Art Grant in 2021, in Riyadh. Noor is also co-founder of TOFI (Theories of Imagination), a multidimensional art collaboration at the intersection of art and technology.
“I produce artworks and experiences that are community-driven, participatory, interactive and playful,” Noor told GulfWeekly.
“My art installations aim to transform physical spaces into emotional landscapes for connection and reflection. My practice is rooted in social engagement where I bridge my personal narratives with collective experiences to foster conversations amongst people around shared memories and sentiments,” she added.
Photos à la Chair launched its seventh season in December 2023 in Al Ahsa oasis, Saudi Arabia, where they collaborated with painter and performance artist Mohammad Al Faraj. In the coming months, they will tie up with a painter, a contemporary mixed media artist, and an architect and installation artist, all based in Bahrain.
The pop-ups have also attracted visitors from other GCC countries.
An originally Bahrain-based initiative, Photos à la Chair has hosted sessions abroad, including the one in the UAE in 2019 and their latest one in Saudi Arabia.
“We’re always up for doing travelling sessions when it makes sense,” Ali said, highlighting that the rest of the sessions for this season will be in Bahrain.
Every season, Camille publishes a book documenting the pop-ups. This year, a small exhibition of all the sessions is on the cards, details about which are yet to be confirmed.
For more information, follow @photosalachair on Instagram.
