‘Busra [sic] creek’,late 19th to early 20th century. Collection of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi
Sharjah Art Foundation presents Photographic Encounters along the Gulf Coasts, comprising 165 photographs and archival documents from the collection of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah. Opening on 8 November 2025, this exhibition serves as a starting point for research into how photography translates and interprets history.
On permanent display at the Foundation’s new Photography Gallery in Al Manakh, the exhibition features late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century glass slides depicting people, places and activities along the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean littorals, revealing the region as a vital nexus of trade, culture and human connection. These images speak in some ways to notions of power, class, gender and ethnicity, signalling the prevailing cultural attitudes of the time.
As the photographer, date and location for each image have not been conclusively established, the exhibition presents the collection as found artefacts. Some of the images have ‘titles’; however, it is unclear who added them and when. Associations between texts and images may change as they circulate through time and space. These photographs thus carry history through not only the subjects potrayed but also the multiple layers of reproduction, inscription and interpretation embedded within them. The exhibition also centres photography as a medium. The glass slides on which the images were reproduced, as well as the magic lantern, considered a predecessor to modern slide projectors, offer insight into photographic innovations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
As the Foundation’s archival research endeavour continues, the photographs in this exhibition will help situate historical narratives of the Arabian Gulf region within global histories, shining a light on colonial and postcolonial modes of knowledge production and dissemination.
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. It was named UNESCO's Arab Capital of Culture for 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113
‘Busra [sic] creek’,late 19th to early 20th century. Collection of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi