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A popular community photography initiative, that began its journey in Bahrain, kicked off its eighth season with its third international appearance - a stunning afternoon of stellar shots taken at the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).
The third regional Photos à la Chair event, and 24th since its founding, was staged last week at the NYUAD’s Blue Theatre, featuring art pieces created by Emirati creatives Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim and Latifa Saeed.
“Holding Photos à la Chair 24 in a theatre and indoors was new and it made the photo taking more like a performance than ever before, people sat in the seats and watched photos get taken which was enjoyable,” co-founder Ali Karimi, a Bahraini architect who started the community project in 2017 with Lebanese photographer Camille Zakharia, told GulfWeekly.
“It was also our first time doing it on a college campus. The response was positive, there was a nice mixture of students, faculty and artists in attendance.
“Around 100 people from over 30 countries gathered around to socialise and have their portrait taken against a gorgeous backdrop created specifically for the event.”
The basic concept behind Photos à la Chair is beautiful in its simplicity – an installation by an artist, or two, forms the backdrop of a photoshoot held during an afternoon or two at a picturesque location, with every visitor or passer-by welcome to model, watch, photograph or socialise.
For Photos à la Chair 24, Mohamed, who has participated in the 2022 Venice Biennale, created a brilliant backdrop inspired by age-old cave drawings while Latifa, the first Emirati artist to showcase her work in Kazakhstan, designed a stunning chair made of woven camel hair.
Dubai-based Latifa graduated from Zayed University with a degree in arts and sciences in 2007, before obtaining the Emerging Artist Fellowship by the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation in partnership with Rhode Island School of Design in 2019 in Abu Dhabi.
In 2021 she received a grant from the Misk Art Institute and participated in the group show Under Construction at The Prince Faisal bin Fahd Fine Arts Hall in Riyadh.
She was also a finalist of the Richard Mille Art Prize hosted by the Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Counted amongst the first generation of Emirati contemporary artists from the late 1980s, Mohamed’s work has been inspired by a lifelong relationship with the environment of Khor Fakkan, UAE, his birthplace, with the Gulf of Oman on one side and the Hajar Mountains on the other. This deep connection to his local environment repeats itself throughout his studio practice, whether through his installations, drawings or objects, and the materials he has worked with for more than three decades.
His works on paper reveal his own form of language - inscriptions, lines and abstract forms that are reminiscent of ancient cave drawings - marking time and memory through meditative repetition.
Since it started, Photos à la Chair has had two international outings - the first one in Dubai in 2019, and the seventh season-opener in December last year at the Al Ahsa oasis in Saudi Arabia.
“We have an exciting season coming up with new artists, new locations and some amazing artworks, with potential events in Egypt and Saudi Arabia!” Ali added.
“Details will be shared on social media, once they are confirmed.”
For more details, follow @photosalachair on Instagram.
