Xposure International Photography Festival in Sharjah: Putting the world in perspective

The fifth annual Xposure 2021 International Photography Festival is bringing to Sharjah some of the most inspiring images from across the world with 1,558 photos by 400 international photographers.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, the chairman of Sharjah Media Council, at the opening of Xposure 2021 at Sharjah Expo Centre in Sharjah.

Fifty-one of the world’s best photographers whose works will be part of Xposure 2021 are flying in for the four-day festival, from 10th to 13th February 2020, at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

With 54 exhibitions, 21 public seminars and inspiring discussions, 14 workshops delivered by industry leaders, eight focus groups and 14 expert-led portfolio reviews, the festival will play its role of being the biggest platform for hands-on learning and training in visual arts in the UAE and the region, once again this year. The festival will honour the emerging as well as renowned photography talents through its three awards.

Festival is launching a special award for photojournalists with press credentials, in recognition of their fearless devotion to documenting health crises, conflicts, natural and manmade disasters.

K.M. Asad, an Independent documentary photographer, based in Bangladesh, Asia. He began his photography journey in 2005 and graduated from “Pathshala” the South Asian Institute of photography in 2008. Currently, K.M. is a Photojournalist at Zuma Press news agency and contributing photographer for Getty Images. Since 2005 he is a full-time photojournalist.

Atif Saeed, a renowned landscape and nature photographer from Pakistan, is well known for his versatile photographic style. For Atif, his photography is a self-expression method to share his life experiences.

Dubai based Ashok Verma works as a senior photojournalist for a leading Arabic daily newspaper under Dubai Media Inc. With the changes in media platforms and boom in digital media Ashok started to learn video and video editing skills. Immense faith, intense dreams and an instinct to never give up, propelled him to make his space in the industry. From advertising and fashion photography, he turned his lens to photojournalism in 2007, which introduced him to Street Photography, which remains one of his preferred genres today. Ashok has been producing photography related videos for past two and a half years and releases at least one video every week on his YouTube channel to share whatever he has learned over the years.

Muhammed Muheisen, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, a National Geographic photographer, founder and chairman of the Dutch non-profit organization Everyday Refugees Foundation, Global Ambassador for Jordan Tourism Board, Royal Jordanian Airlines and Canon, poses for the picture along with his exhibition at Xposure International Photography Festival at Sharjah Expo Centre in Sharjah.

Giles Duley, documentary photographer and writer during his talk at Xposure 2021. Duley, who lost both his legs and an arm as he stepped on a land mine while on an assignment in Afghanistan in 2011, said: “As a photographer, I was always driven by curiosity. I wanted to know what lay beyond. Yesterday, I watched the news, and a photographer did exactly that. A photographer went to capture images never seen. That photographer was the Probe called Hope.” Duley congratulated the UAE on the incredible achievement of being only the fifth country in the world to have led a successful Mars mission.

Brent Stirton, South African Photographer with an extensive history in the documentary world. National Geographic Magazine and many other respected international titles have published Brent’s work.

The fifth edition of Xposure will push on its commitment to nurturing emerging talent in the region by hosting 14 expert-led workshops. These interactive, hands-on workshops will feature instructors skilled in creating targeted learning experiences, across three proficiency categories — beginners, intermediate and advanced.

Gallery X, a permanent gallery in Sharjah hosting a collection of the works of world-renowned photographers who have participated in the Xposure International Photography Festival, will be launched at the fifth edition of the festival, which raises curtain on February 10. The curation will also showcase stunning images captured by talented photographers who have won and been shortlisted for the past editions of the prestigious global Xposure Awards.

With a whopping 33,187 entries that have poured in from 125 countries for 20/21 edition of the Xposure International Photography Awards, the stage for the hardest fought battle in the competition’s history has been set this season. Winners across all 10 categories of the competition will be announced during the closing ceremony of the festival on February 13.

The first-of-its-kind gallery in the UAE dedicated to the medium, Gallery X pays homage to the development of the art of visual storytelling through the ages. With a permanent exhibition, a merchandise line, workshops and activities that will be held all year, Gallery X is a new cultural spot in Sharjah, which aims to bring UAE residents, visitors, creatives, and the youth a great new opportunity to come together to learn, share and celebrate the gift of image making.