Bloomingdale’s in Dubai Mall recently held a cultural photography exhibition on its premises. Concluded on May 6, the exhibition was held in collaboration with Lughass, a creative who achieved prominence after he captured a drone-shot image of the Nike basketball court at the iconic SOLE DXB festival, and Palestinian photographer Omar Sha3.
The idea was to capture influential local talent creatively. In fact, the photography campaign incorporated elements from the Journey Together Ramadan campaign highlighting “the compass as a symbol representing one’s inner compass which signifies grounding and the direction where the family are driven by their common values. The Bukhoor feature represents hospitality and nostalgic memories through scent.”
As part of the campaign and exhibition, Lughass and Omar Sha3 photographed Palestinian-Syrian model Lana Al Beik, Sudanese fashion influencer and creative director Korrii, Emirati signer and content creator Mohammed Alahbabi, and Saudi content creator and student Rafal Habib.
“In a rapidly developing society like today's, it's a great joy and experience to dive back into our heritage and beliefs. Integrating those very principles and cultural components that we were raised on into our own modernised version of art is something that's been a beautiful demonstration of how far we've come in our journey. I’m honoured to take part in this collaboration exhibiting my work with Bloomingdale’s,” commented Lughass.
Omar Sha3 said: “Very happy to be part of this exhibition, and I love that it gave me and my friends a chance to take photographs in the surreal nature of the UAE in honour of the holy month.”
Palestinian-Syrian model Lana Al Beik further commented: “Growing up I used to always link the scent of bukhoor with special occasions. Bukhoor resonates in my roots and brings back all the beautiful memories from my childhood. To be able to celebrate that through the Bloomingdale’s Ramadan Exhibition has been a nostalgic journey.”
Other participants had equally strong feelings about the event.
“Family ties to me are unbreakable bonds, and for me to be able to be a part of this special exhibition with someone so dear to my heart, my nephew, means the world to me. Bloomingdale’s has given us the opportunity to celebrate our culture with the people we love most,” said Mohammed Alahbabi.
Sudanese fashion influencer and creative director Korrii, was equally enthusiastic about being part of the event. She concluded: “Being the youngest of a big Sudanese family, I always looked up to my older siblings. My sister had a huge role in the person that I am today, thanks to her unconditional love and support growing up. To be able to share this experience with her thanks to Bloomingdale’s is everything to me.”
