14th Nov-15th Dec. 2019
“The Place I Call Home” Photography Touring Exhibition Presents Artworks by Omani and International artists
Under the auspices of His Excellency Hamish Cowell, an Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Oman, Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal Est. and Ffotogallery cordially invites you to the opening of “The Place I Call Home” Exhibition.
On Wednesday, November 13th at 6:30 pm at Stal Gallery in Madinat Qaboos
This cross-cultural exhibition, commissioned by the British Council and curated by David Drake, Director of Ffotogallery presents the work of 13 artists, each using photography to explore the idea of home through the experiences of people living in the Gulf and the UK at a time of rapid change and social mobility.
EXHIBITION The exhibition continues from 14th Nov-15th Dec. 2019
The photography exhibitionaround the topic “The Place I Call Home” covering venues across the GCC and the UK - is touring between September 2019 and March 2020.
This cross-cultural exhibition, commissioned by the British Council and curated by David Drake, Director of Ffotogallery, presents the work of 15 artists, each using photography to explore the idea of home through the experiences of people living in the Gulf and the UK at a time of rapid change and social mobility; to explore the notion of home as it relates to contemporary experiences of the Arabic diaspora living in the UK and British people living in the Gulf.
“The Place I Call Home” presents the artist Hassan Al Meer as invited artists from Oman, Muscat. His art collection “Reflection from Memories” is featured in touring exhibition in Ffotogallery, Cardiff, United Kingdom (24.10 -21.12.2019), Bahrain Museum Art Space, The Kingdom of Bahrain, (15-31.01.2020), Derby Riverlights United Kingdom (14-28.09.2019), Fire Station, Doha, Qatar (2-21.12.2019), Amricani Cultural Centre, Kuwait City, Kuwait (1-21.10.2019), Stal Gallery, Muscat, Oman (14.11-15.12.2019), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – L’Art Pur (9 – 29.02.2020), UAE – March 2020.
Expressing the ongoing touring exhibition, David Drake says: “I’m delighted that Hassan Meer, Sara Al Obaidly, Abi Green, Mariam Alarab and Hussain Almosawi, Richard Allenby-Pratt, Josh Adam Jones, Zahed Sultan and Ben Soedira accepted my invitation to attend the opening in Cardiff. The selected artists reflect a balance of age, gender and professional experience, as well as representation of all six GCC countries. In various ways, the work of the selected artists is about sharing stories of culture and heritage, challenging stereotypes, exploring identities, commonalities and differences.”
Hassan says, that the concept of artworks from collection “Reflection from Memories” explores “Oman in the sixties and seventies. A big transition happened in the region through that decade; the discovery of oil brought new hope and life to the people. Most of the Omani returned back to their home from abroad, some of them brought their memories with them and some of them left them behind. The architecture of the city changed, people moved to new districts and left their old houses behind. The modernity has come, and the transition is happening. In the artist’s work he is trying to send a message to the people to maintain what is left of their past. When the artist entered his grandfather's house a few years ago he found nothing but broken walls and windows. The emptiness of the house inspired him to go back to family memories, and he started creating a series of photographs inspired by the soul of his old house.”
The Place I Call Home will tour across the GCC and the UK between September 2019 and March 2020 and will also comprise a public outreach programme, open to all.
THE EXHIBITION CONCEPT
"The Place I Call Home uses photography and lens-based media to explore the notion of home as it relates to contemporary experiences of the Arabic diaspora living in the UK and British people living in the Gulf. With the huge transformational changes happening in the Gulf region and UK – geopolitical, economic, social and cultural – the question of how we create places and spaces where we feel at home is a highly pertinent one. Real estate opportunity, the immense new wealth from oil, gas and mineral extraction, financial speculation, globalisation and technology are powerful drivers for trade and business growth. Equally, intercultural exchange, education, innovation and creativity offer momentum for positive societal change such as increased freedom and mobility, health and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability. These factors make our cities and neighborhoods more liveable, our communities more vibrant and harmonious, and our sense of belonging stronger" - says David Drake..
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