Sultan Bin Ahmed oversees Xposure 2019 preparations

Thursday will be a red-letter day for Sharjah when the gates to the region’s most sought-after international photography festival, Xposure 2019, will be thrown open to the public for four days, packed with an exciting mix of events starting from Sept.19.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council (SMC), accompanied by Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), visited Expo Centre Sharjah to inspect the preparations at the Festival venue on Sunday morning.

He emphasised the importance of the prestigious exhibition on Sharjah’s calendar of events and the part it played in bolstering emirate’s reputation as a cultural capital.

Xposure 2019 will feature the works of 357 internationally renowned photographers, 53 of who will be attending the festival.

It will also welcome key players and experts from the photography world, as well as new and emerging artists, who will participate in a busy programme of events that includes exhibitions, workshops, seminars, screenings, competitions, portfolio reviews, a video production trade show and photo fair.

Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), Xposure 2019 will see celebrated photographers Joe McNally, Aidan, J Sullivan, Kathy Moran, Antonio Aragon Renuncio, Kathy Moran, Essdras M Suarez and Juan Jose Reyes, among many others, in attendance.

The SMC Chairman said that the Festival’s growing year-on-year popularity was evidence of Xposure’s critical role as an enabler of artistic innovation, and a strong platform that promotes local and global talents, addresses pressing humanitarian and environmental issues, and encourages cross-cultural exchange.

Accompanying Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi on his tour was HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, as well as representatives and dignitaries from partnering establishments.

The four-day event is also hosting outdoor exhibitions at six popular public venues across Dubai and Sharjah. The International Photography Competition, along with the Timothy Allen Photography Scholarship Award, will remain its star features.

The Xposure 2019 International Photography Festival will open its doors to visitors from 10:00am to 10:00pm on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and from 2:00pm to 10:00pm on Friday. General admission is free.

A couple of weeks ago, unveiling the programme Sheikh Sultan had said that 357 noted photographers will share their experiences, their stories with the visitors.

“The photo is their voice and Sharjah is a cultural conduit that brings their voices into the UAE and the region. Come and live brand new experiences through photography over four days, use the festival’s unique space to see thousands of images and meet the talents who created them,” he had said.

The SMC Chairman said that Sharjah is always keen to promote cultural dialogue. Xposure is another forum to further the cause as photography is a universal language and one of the most effective tools to shed light on the truth.

He added, “We hope that the fourth edition of Xposure will open our eyes to new stories, help us see the world around us closely and realise our duties towards it, and inspire us to contribute towards changing our realities.”

Hosted by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) at Expo Centre Sharjah from September 19 to 22, 2019, Xposure 2019 will also see the addition of several new attractions such as the launch of two new categories titled “Night Photography” and “Portrait and People” and “Mobile Photography” and “Nature and Landscape”.

Announcing the details of the fourth edition of Xposure, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, said: “In keeping with Sharjah’s tradition, we have been striving to make our events and offerings more interesting year after year. In this edition of Xposure, in addition to our regular and most popular competition categories, we are introducing four new categories. This opens up exciting new possibilities for photographers specialising in those categories, not only from the region, but from across the world. We expect some excellent entries for competition from professionals under those sections.”