[This is a roundup of articles on photography in the Middle East and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Photography Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in roundups to photos@jadaliyya.com.]
Announcements/Reviews:
Photo Exhibition: Fragile States, by George Awde, 15 May - 25 June, East Wing, Doha, Qatar
Fragile States chronicles the transitory existence of a group of young men and boys - many of them migrant laborers, emigrants from Syria living in Beirut.
Photo Exhibition: Realism in Rawiya: Photographic Stories from the Middle East, Until 16 May 2015, Impressions Gallery, Bradford, UK
Photo Exhibition: All About me, nicknamed “crown-giver,” by Tahmineh Monzavii, 1 - 18 May 2015, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran
Rana ElNemr: Synonyms of Seeing, Nafas
A review of ElNemr’s exhibition Assembled in Streams of Synonyms at the Sharjah Art Gallery at AUC in Cairo from 30 November 2104 - 15 January 2015.
Turkish Photographer Wins Top Two Awards at World Press Photo, Time Lightbox
Bulent Kilic wins World Press Photo awards.
The Welfare Association for Youth Announces the Winners of the “Gaza in Your Eyes” Photography Contest, Welfare Association for Youth
“Gaza in Your Eyes” contest winning submissions.
Tribe, Tribe Photo Magazine via Stead Bureau
A new magazine featuring photography and new media from the Arab world.
A Prophet Unaccepted in His Own Country, Qantara.de
Obituary of Malek Alloula, who is well-known in the field of photography for his critique of Orientalist photography in his book The Colonial Harem.
Gaza:
A Gaza Artist Creates 100 Square Feet of Beauty, and She’s Not Budging, New York Times
Nidaa Badwan’s self-portrait project “100 Days of Solitude” all done within the confines of her room in Gaza, which she rarely leaves.
Gazans Turn to the Sea to Escape War Trauma, 7iber
Photo story about the importance of the sea to Gazans’ daily life.
Healing in Post-War Gaza, The Washington Post
Photos and essay about photojournalist Heidi Levine’s 30-year career and personal struggles documenting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Lebanon:
Lebanon’s Open Wound: The Missing 40 Years After the Civil War, 7iber
Photos and text by Dalia Khamissy explore the issue of Lebanon’s missing through interviews with family members who remain.
Beirut Friends: Our Life in Photos, Medium
“We gave cameras to 12 Syrian refugee and Lebanese kids in Beirut. They gave us a glimpse into their lives. They are keeping online photo diaries here, posting a photo a day.” (Project of Mouvement Social.)
Unfixed Images: Remembering Lebanon’s Civil War, Creative Time Reports
A series of photographs from the Arab Image Foundation, selected by artist and AIF member Lara Baladi, reflects the disparate but intersecting narratives that define the country’s past and present.
Incredible Pictures of Lebanon from 1976 at the Start of the Civil War, A Separate State of Mind blog
Egypt:
Families in Minya Mourn for Egyptian Christians Killed by IS Militants in Libya, Ahram Online
Photo gallery.
A Child of the Revolution, Panorama Mada Masr
A story of raising a child during the height of Egypt’s revolution.
Damietta Egypt’s Ikea, Panorama Mada Masr
Damietta’s small local furniture shops struggle to survive.
Egyptian dandies: street style craze promises fame for hip young men, The Guardian
Young men dress up and pose for photos to be posted on social media sites.
Egypt’s Limestone Quarries: Picturesque but Deadly National Geographic Proof
Mohamed Ali Eddin’s photographs and text about workers at the limestone quarries in Minya, Egypt.
Iraq:
Displaced Iraqis Wait and Hope for Fighting to End, Al Jazeera In Pictures
A look at the lives of the 8,500 displaced Iraqis at Laylan refugee camp, waiting for the ISIL violence to end so they can return home.
Yazidis Released by ISIL Seek Religious Cleansing, Al Jazeera In Pictures
Kidnapped Yazidis are released by ISIL and return home to cleanse in Lalish and recover from the mental and physical trauma.
Iran:
Stress and Hope in Tehran, The New York Times
Photographer Newsha Tavakolian’s portraits of Tehran residents along with quotes from them about coping with international sanctions and economic hardship.
Unwelcome Images of Life in Tehran, Qantara.de
Photos by Iranian photographer Milad Alaei, which were withdrawn or left unpublished in Iran with explanations of why they were rejected.
Portrait of a Nation, Reorient
A history of photography in Iran.
Iran’s Forgotten African Migrants, The Guardian
“Photographer Mahdi Ehsaei documented the African presence in Iran over two months last year. Although Iran is home to various ethnic groups – who have migrated to the region through the centuries – Afro-Iranians and those of African descent are often forgotten in the country’s history.”
Other:
The Middle East’s First All-Female Photo Collective Are Behind Some Incredible Images, Vice
Interviews and overview of Rawiya and its members.
Meet the Women Taking the Battle to ISIS, Time Lightbox
Kurdish women train and fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Afloat on Two Niles with the Fishermen of Khartoum, AP Images Spotlight
Photos from Sudan by Associated Press photographer Mosa’ab Elshamy.
Inside a Saudi Arabia Oil Giant’s American Oasis, Time Lightbox
Ayesha Malik photographs her hometown - the California suburb-like community of Dhahran, a secluded compound created by Aramco for its workers on the east coast of Saudi Arabia.
In Israel, Migrants Find a Home, Through Running, New York Times Lens Blog
Photos and story of migrant students in Israel competing in track despite Israeli regulations over legal status for athletes.
What I learned about Media After Photographing Syrian Refugee Children, USC Annenberg’s Reporting on Health
Freelancer David Gross’s insightful essay about the challenges of funding, photographing, and trying to publish his photographic project on Syrian refugee children.
How to Stay Committed to a Long Term Photography Project, The Phoblographer
Interview with three photographers about their multiple-year projects.