Dubai: Iranian Borna Ahaadi chose to portray the UAE in black-and-white photos because it is his signature style.

The result of his artistic endeavour is an on-going exhibition of 35 images that capture the spirit and nuances of the country he calls his home.

Ahaadi works and lives in the UAE, specialising in graphic design and photography. Through his exhibition Magical Sands, at the Arsh Art Gallery in Dubai, he told Gulf News he wanted to present different aspects to reflect a composite picture of the UAE.

The photos reflect a juxtaposition of stark simplicity and modernity, he said. “I show the simple old life of UAE’s inhabitants. I also show the modern life, and the way it melds with the old.”

Ahaadi’s work is also an attempt to contribute to the country’s heritage. In one of his earlier projects in 2009, he worked with the Abu Dhabi Authority of Culture and Heritage Authority (Adach), and said that the opportunity to be introduced and experience the cultural facets of the UAE inspired him.

Given his travel photography background, while travelling the breadth of the country, he entertained the thought of a black-and-white collection as a personal project.

He said it had to reflect the most obvious icons as well as symbols that are either forgotten or not in recent memory, he said.

“True to the theme, I tried not to miss a spot while travelling all seven emirates, capturing my view of the country that I thought is overlooked by most. The best feature of the collection is the way it shocks the viewer — it introduces all the corners of the country at once. I am happy with this kind of reaction.

“It puts together a true image of how the country should be viewed. Some of the exhibition visitors commented on a few photos saying that these were dated, maybe 30 years ago. Whereas a few others looked at photos that have a huge group of towers and didn’t know which emirate these are built in,” he said.

Ahaadi has been involved in photography for more than 15 years. He first handled a camera aged eight, and pursued the art academically in Tehran. He has had 12 exhibitions of which 10 were based on black-and-white photography. He has also written two books in Farsi titled ‘Light Room’ and ‘50 Photoshop Lessons for Photographer’.

Giving details about his next project, he said it is related to the poems of the Iranian poet and philosopher Hafiz. As for the current exhibition, he plans to publish the photos in a book.