A prominent figure among the ‘second generation’ of contemporary artists in the UAE, Mohammed Kazem’s artistic practice encompasses video, photography and performance. Presented at Sharjah Biennial 6 (2003), Photographs with Flags (1997–2003) builds on the artist’s long-standing interest in using his body as a tool to navigate and interrogate his surroundings. While his earlier works were more autobiographical and centred on his domestic environment, here Kazem positions himself as a reference point amid the rapid transformation of his home country. Shot over a six-year span, the series of 24 prints first originated when the artist noticed an unknown flag planted in an empty lot near the atelier that he shared with his close friend and collaborator Hasan Sharif. By inserting his body into these evolving landscapes, Kazem reflects on the uncertainty and anxiety shared by many during this period of accelerated urban development.