Curated by Tashkeel Founder Lateefa bint Maktoum and veteran Emirati photographer Jassim Al Awadhi, ‘From End to End’ will run from 18 January – 1 March
 
Dubai, UAE – 12 January 2022 | A series of thought-provoking images that demonstrate the ever-evolving process of art and creation by six Emirati photographers, who were handpicked by leading figures in the UAE’s creative and cultural industries, will be presented at Taskheel’s first exhibition of 2022, which opens on 18 January. 
 
‘From End to End’ runs until 1 March and has been curated by Tashkeel’s Founder and Director, Lateefa bint Maktoum, and Jassim Al Awadhi, one of the UAE’s first Emirati photographers, who is also the Founder and Chairman of the Akkas, the UAE Photography Club and Chairman of the Emirates Photography Association. 
 
A total of 30 images by Emirati photography practitioners Ola Allouz, Yaghoub Al Hammadi, Mousa Al Raeesi, Faisal Al Rais, Mona Al Tamimi and Maitha Bughanoum will give exhibition visitors insight into the creative process as well as mankind’s fundamental bonds with the natural environment.  
 
All works were expertly printed by Tashkeel using its state-of the-art Epson SureColor P9000 digital printer, demonstrating the quality of the printing services offered by Tashkeel all year round. The photographs display a diverse range of formats and production techniques, from light play and contrast to double exposure. Shot on a range of technology from drones to mirrorless digital cameras, 
 
‘From End to End’ prompts the viewer to question mankind’s synergy with the natural world. With selected works depicting intimate aspects of human existence spanning vast geographical distances from the streets of Satwa to the remote mangroves of Al Dhafra and the bustling coastlines of Zanzibar, the subtle details of each work highlight man’s unrelenting disruption of the environment around him: The microparticles of plastics worn by fisherwomen drifting into the seas; the remnants of fishing nets deposited in the seas of the Arabian Gulf; the dredged tidal flats off the shore of Abu Dhabi; and the plastic waste generated from communal feasts. While in an untouched area of Dubai nests an owl and her chicks. As their existence and that of their species hangs in the balance, the images stand as a bold reminder of the fragility of the natural world and the need for mankind to step up and fulfill its unequivocal moral duty to protect and preserve it for all time.
 
“The images that we have selected for this exhibition epitomise the relationship between each stage of the artists’ lives and creative endeavours. The participating photographers present ideas that reflect both the depth of their abilities and the abundance of their commitment to their craft, which has enabled them to encapsulate entire worlds within each work,” says Jassim Al Awadhi, whose work has been presented in more than 27 exhibitions in the UAE and abroad, and who is the recipient of the UAE Appreciate Award for Science, Arts and Literature bestowed by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
 
Jassim says that the images inspire hope of new beginnings after the end of every endeavour. “There is renewal at every end. When the end of the ends is reached, there is the beginning of new worlds. We hope that these works will lead to the beginning of other works to come.”
 
According to Lisa Ball-Lechgar, the deputy director of Tashkeel, the selected photographs offer insights into the creative journey undertaken by the artists, and the personal and professional influences and collaborations that inform their approach and techniques. 
 
“We decided that our first exhibition of 2022 should celebrate the bold chances practitioners take to refine their techniques and honour their process of discovery and drive to pursue their practice. The photographers participating in this exhibition are at various stages of their artistic journeys and have had unconventional beginnings in visual arts, many making the crossover from other professions, which influence the narrative in their works. It is also testament to the role that individual creativity plays in other areas, from the economy and social dynamics to environmental conservation that play a crucial role in shaping the world we live in.” 
 
‘From End to End’ will run at the gallery in Tashkeel Nad Al Sheba 1, Dubai from 18 January to 1 March 2022. The exhibition opens from 10am to 10pm daily Sunday to Thursday and Fridays (9am-12pm & 3-7pm). Admission is free. Hourly artist-led group tours of the exhibition run:
Tuesday 18 January: 6-7pm, 7-8pm, 8-9pm 
Sunday 6 February: 11am-12pm & 12pm-1pm
Sunday 20 February: 11am-12pm & 12pm-1pm