Vantage Point Sharjah 13 Spotlights Intimate Documentary Photography and Personal Narratives

The reflective strips of his oil worker’s uniform are dazzling. Light splays from his wrists and shoulders, and this outpouring exalts him in the monochrome image, makes him larger than life. We see the man as his son sees him. The boy hangs from his father’s grip, legs crossed in playful acrobatics. He looks up at him in glee, in reverence. The man is just about to leave for work and the boy wants to get as much time as he can with him. The photograph by Sathish Kumar is one in a series the artist is showcasing at Vantage Point 13 in the Photography Gallery in Sharjah.

The exhibition, held annually since 2013, has moved to a new location. It will also take place once every two years moving forward. These changes coincide with Vantage Point’s revised format. In previous runs, the exhibition presented works by dozens of artists at a time, from photojournalism and photo essays to experimental pieces. This year, it has commissioned six artists to each develop a singular, sprawling body of work within the realm of documentary photography.

Kumar’s Bond series centres on his brother, who has been working in the Gulf for more than a decade. The photographs document his life with his family in the industrial city complex of Al Ruwais, Abu Dhabi. They show the family during a day out in a park, in a desert and in their apartment. The photographs are intimate, taken by a point-and-shoot camera, closely resembling pages from a family album. However, these images tell only one half of the story. They are juxtaposed with photographs taken in Bengaluru, Kumar’s hometown in southern India, many from the construction site of the family’s house.

“With point-and-shoot photographs, people usually print them small,” says Sara Al Mheiri, who co-curated the exhibition with Osemudiamen Ekore. “We wanted to print them bigger and give them space. All the images are also printed on metal sheets.”

Like many South Asian workers, Kumar sought employment in the Gulf driven by the dream of building a house for his parents in their hometown. Tragically, Kumar’s parents passed away before that dream came to fruition. One of the photographs in Bond captures this poignancy through memorial offerings.

In Sirti Mara – translated from Arabic to You’re a Woman Now – Saudi artist Latifa Al Bokhari presents a series exploring seminal moments in a woman’s life in the region, focusing on customs like henna and wedding preparations. The photographs are printed on velvet and bordered by a minimal, walnut-coloured frame.

The experimental approach to documentary photography continues throughout the exhibition. Beijing-born artist Guanyu Xu photographs domestic interiors, overlaying found and personal images on walls, doors, and furniture to create a kaleidoscopic representation of a person’s life. Meanwhile, in Escaramuza, Brazilian photographer Luisa Dorr focuses on an equestrian team and school in Mexico training female horse riders, highlighting the physical demands of charreria and the riders' bond with their horses.

The final two bodies of work amplify a revolutionary spirit. In Endinastawis Anirsa (Lest We Forget), Ethiopian photographer Maheder Haileselassie presents collages of Arbegnoch fighters who stood against the Italian occupation of Ethiopia between 1936 and 1941, sourcing images from archival Hamle 16 certificates. Finally, in Permission to Narrate, Adam Rouhana travelled with a mobile studio across the occupied West Bank, collaborating with workers, artists, families, and community leaders to challenge reductive tropes of Palestinian identity.

Vantage Point 13 runs at the Photography Gallery in Al Manakh, Sharjah, until November 29.