400 international photographers and a special award for professional photojournalists around the world
"Xposure 2021" ... 1558 photos celebrating life in the face of the epidemic
Part of the press conference held at the House of Wisdom in Sharjah.
Emirates today
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Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, announced the launch of an award dedicated to accredited professional photojournalists, in recognition of their efforts in transmitting and documenting the world's events in image, and their bearing of risks that they may face from the heart of disasters, conflicts and wars.
This came at the press conference to inform about the details of the new session of the International Festival of Photography (Xposure), which was held at Beit Al-Hikma in Sharjah.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said: “We owe a debt to the photojournalists for their efforts to place us at the heart of the changes in the world. Were it not for their efforts, we would not have followed and lived many details that our brothers in humanity are going through in various countries of the world, especially as we are today living in exceptional circumstances due to a pandemic ( Covid-19) ».
Peoples experiences
The International Festival of Photography (Xposure) transfers the world and its stories to the Emirate of Sharjah with 1558 pictures documenting peoples' experiences, the magic of nature and key moments in the history of humanity. In its special and fifth session, it collects the works of 400 international photographers, of whom 51 of the best photographers in the world participate, to send a message confirming that Image is the language of humanity and carries its message that transcends borders and countries and all forms of diversity and difference.
The festival, which takes place from 10 to 13 this month at the Sharjah Expo Center, will offer 54 exhibitions, 21 inspiring discussion sessions, 14 workshops by seven international photographers, eight group discussion sessions and 14 assessment sessions for artistic progress, opening the largest space for direct learning and training in photography. In the Emirates and the region.
Art is not a luxury
Al Qasimi talked about the message that the festival carries this year, saying: “(Xposure) this year brings us together to hear new stories, and watch the stories with the eyes of the world's leading photographers. The stories will not be about the epidemic, but rather about life, and it will not be about social distancing but about human closeness. And it will be about our brothers in humanity ... about beings who live with us on earth ... from amazing and remote places. (Exposure) comes to take us out of isolation to say: Art is not a luxury, it is a healing for societies.
Life for the better
Al-Qasimi discussed the themes on which the festival is based this year, saying: “We used to have the festival bear a slogan in every session. This year, we chose to emphasize what we started from five years ago.
The messages and goals in which the festival has turned into one of the most successful events that celebrate the image and the photographer in the world. We host photography experts .. We support and celebrate talents .. We inspire minds and love photography to change life for the better, and we believe in color and celebrate art to send a message to The whole world believes that art is not a luxury. Rather, it is what makes life meaningful and gives humanity the opportunity to see the beauty around them, and we gather on the love of the image to say: (We are Exposure) ».
First prize
The Director of the Sharjah Government Media Office, Tariq Allai, confirmed that this year “Xposure” is exceptional at all levels, saying: “The festival is exceptional because it witnesses the launch of the first award honoring the efforts of accredited photojournalists who have gone through difficult circumstances and great challenges to embody in front of us great humanitarian messages, and because it records The largest volume of participation in its history, whether in the number of photos, photographers and applicants for its awards, and because it comes in light of great global changes to stand with photographers and support their artistic, knowledge and aesthetic projects.
He pointed out that the world needs an image today more than ever before, and the effort made by the world's photographers is equivalent to what the first lines of defense make in the face of the Corona pandemic. We need awareness and beauty, and we need to travel, travel, dialogue and communication, and this Exactly what the photo offers and what photographers everywhere are working on.
«Gallery X»
Tariq Allai revealed the newness of the festival this year, saying: “The activities of the fifth session of the festival will witness the launch of Gallery X, which is a permanent exhibition in Sharjah that hosts the works of a group of international photographers who participated in the festival, as it displays photos of a group of creative photographers who won the sessions. Previous World Xposure Awards or shortlisted.
He added: “The exhibition, the first of its kind in this field in the UAE, celebrates the development of the art of visual narration through the ages. The exhibition is a new cultural event in Sharjah, as it includes a permanent exhibition, the launch of commercial products for Exposure, workshops, various activities and events held throughout the year, It aims to enable citizens, residents, visitors and creative arts hobbyists to meet and learn, share their experiences and experiences, and celebrate the art of photography.
36 educational platforms
The festival organizes 14 specialized workshops presented by seven professional photographers that integrate the theoretical and scientific aspects, and host the audience of amateurs and beginners as well as professionals, and the festival also hosts 14 review and evaluation sessions for artistic progress led by five international experts in the field of photography, in addition to eight discussion sessions Collective.
The event will witness 21 inspiring dialogues over a period of four days, dealing with a number of technical and artistic topics in the field of photography, and aims to support the expertise of photographers with new knowledge and experiences and open the way for them to benefit from the expertise of professional photographers with a long history in various fields of photography.
As part of its efforts to honor the most prominent works of photographers at the local, Arab and international levels, the festival dedicates three unique prizes, the first being its special awards that are divided into 10 categories. This year, the festival received the largest number of entries in its history, reaching 33,187 entries from 125 countries.
The Timothy Allen scholarship, which the festival allocates to photographers specializing in the fields of "travel photography" and "documentary photography," saw the participation of 1600 files from various parts of the world, and the festival will crown the winners during its holding at the Sharjah Expo Center.
The list of winners included the winner of the Czech photographer Michal Novotny for his project "Aspects of Faith", and the British photographer Kieran Ridley for his extensive photo coverage of the political crisis, titled "Hong Kong Democracy Protests: Revolution of Our Time", and Turkish photographer F Delek Uyar, for the project " At the Coronavirus Epidemic Control Center, Covid-19, ”
The "Life Among Trash" project led Iranian photographer Ata Ranbar Zidanloo to win the award, while Russian photographer Natalia Gorshkova won a match for her project "Willpower."
#Photos_from_home
The festival completed its series of awards with the "Pictures from Home" competition, which it launched last May, to tell unique stories from the daily lives of photographers during the home quarantine period within the borders of their homes or with shots taken from the windows of their homes, and the number of participants in it reached 7,803 participants from 83 countries. From different parts of the world, where the competition crowned 12 winners over a period of six weeks, and awarded them cash prizes amounting to 10 thousand and 500 dollars (38 thousand and 581 dirhams).
Exceptional tales
The festival narrates exceptional stories from different parts of the world, embodying the aesthetics of nature, the experiences of peoples, their history and the most paradoxical and difficult moments of humanity, presenting 1558 photos distributed into 54 exhibitions, of which 41 are individual and 13 collective exhibitions, presented by 400 photographers from different parts of the world, 51 of them are the best Photographers of the world participate in the festival.
- The experiences of peoples, the magic of nature, and defining moments in the history of humanity, collected by the pictures of the festival.
The largest number of photos, photographers and prize applicants participating in this session.
A special prize for professional photojournalists around the world.
- 51
One of the best photographers in the world.
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