HIPAA Award How West Asian photographers are looking beyond war and violence to redefine their world

Omani photographer Ahmed Al Hosni’s ‘The Escape’ won third prize in the color category at HIPA. , Photo courtesy: Ahmed Al Hosni

This year has been difficult for Lebanon as war and destruction have engulfed the Mediterranean country. This country, known for its capital Beirut and its beautiful mountains and Roman ruins, is suddenly caught in the Israel-Palestine crisis. First came the pager blasts of September 17, followed by images of exploding buildings and the dead and injured. However, in photographer Ihab Fayed’s world, Israeli bombings are nowhere to be seen. His work hints at the violence all around but war and its hardships are nowhere to be seen.

Fayed focuses on the 150,000 hectares of Mount Lebanon that host some of the most ancient olive groves in the world. They produce exquisite olive oil which is a symbol of national identity and pride. However, this year, the region has suffered losses as approximately 40,000 olive trees were destroyed in Israeli attacks. In his photographs, Fayed shows how the owners of olive groves carefully harvest the fruits and cover them with white cotton cloth and select the juiciest olives to transport them to the olive mills in damaged 1980s taxis.

Ihab Fayed’s photographs of the olive groves of Lebanon. , Photo Credit: Ihab Fayad

Their photographs reflect a tradition that has been part of the region for approximately 5,000 years. Wars and violence will come and go but the glorious Lebanese tradition of making olive oil continues uninterrupted. Fayed, who recently received an honorable mention at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA) in Dubai, is part of an emerging tradition of photography in the Arab world – often reinterpreting itself away from war and violence. Does. This has been a defining characteristic of the region’s imagination.

Lebanese photographer Ihab Fayed

desert as canvas

Starting with the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s and the Gulf War of 1990–91, primary images of the West Asian region have been associated with violence, terrorist attacks and humanitarian tragedy, but this year HIPAA has seen a large number of entries. And the award winners provided a different way of looking at the region spanning from Palestine and Lebanon to Saudi Arabia and Oman. This alternative view of the geopolitical basis of West Asia was also seen in the work of Duhain Abdulhamid. His canvas is the desert of Saudi Arabia and Saudi history and identity. The kingdom is the home of Islam and it is also a hydrocarbon powerhouse driving the world economy – so both of these are the primary lenses used to view Saudi Arabia. But Abdulhamim turns his lens on the vast desert and the ancient, mysterious stone mustatils that have added an otherworldly air to the arid landscape.

These stone mausoleums are huge geometric structures found in the Arabian desert. These deserts were considered empty, giving rise to the name Rub’ el Khali – the Empty Quarter. Photographer shows that deserts are not empty or empty but are actually home to mysterious mustelids. ‘Chehra’ remains the most interesting among all the must-sees. Abdulhame shows through his images that in the empty deserts of Saudi Arabia there may have been an ancient human civilization whose roots are unknown.

One of Sammy Al Oulaby’s “breathtaking images of celestial objects and nature photography, particularly the dark skies of the Arabian Peninsula”. , Photo Credit: Sami Al Olabi

A similar effort was made by HIPA Photographer of the Year Award winner Sami Al Oulaibi. Syrian by birth, Al Oulaibi was educated in Cairo and came to work in the UAE. It was while dealing with the stress of his profession that he turned to photography – in fact, astrophotography – capturing the stunning night sky of the Arabian Peninsula.

Syria’s Sammy Al Olabi who won the $80,000 Photographer of the Year award.

in the forest

From skies to mountains, Al Oulaibi has been adept at covering the natural beauty of the Arab world, often overshadowing the mainstream media’s focus on military campaigns and conflicts. In his camera, brown, barren mountains turn green after a splash of rain and he shows that mass media stereotypes are not necessarily the reality of the Arab world.

Indian photographer Rahul Sachdev’s ‘Resilience’, which won the $40,000 first prize in the color category at HIPA 2024. Photo courtesy: Rahul Sachdev

This year, HIPA saw remarkable participation from Indian photographers, often self-taught, from around the world. Pune’s Rahul Sachdev, who takes high-end tourists on international holidays, won the first prize in color photography for capturing a southern white rhino turning into a mythical beast in the morning light in Kenya.

But the high point of HIPA this year was the work of West Asian photographers steeped in the traditions and ethos of the region. Award-winning photography content creator Salma Ali Alsuwaidi comes through with her captivating shots. A Bedouin, Alsuwaidi keeps a strict veil, but her expressive eyes reflected her emotions as she talked about her struggle to overcome both social restrictions and physical handicap to become a nature photographer. She captures the birds of the UAE, but her expertise extends far beyond photography.

Photographs by Salma Ali Alsuwaidi of the United Arab Emirates, who won the $50,000 Photography Content Creator Award “for her pioneering work documenting the UAE’s wildlife and bird species.” , Photo courtesy: Salma Ali Alsuwaidi

He has written the book and also photographed it Common birds and their nests in UAEA project that took him 14 years to complete. Alsuwaidi traveled to all seven emirates, crossing challenging terrain to photograph and study bird species in their natural habitats. “Wildlife photography is simple but challenging; Its subjects refuse to perform on cue, resulting in authentic and honest images. My years of work have deepened my interest in these mostly peaceful creatures, inspiring me to conduct research and provide scientific reference material for enthusiasts, adding documentary value to my artistic endeavors, ” she says.

kallol.b@thehindu.co.in