BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Renowned Doha-based Lebanese photographer Maher Attar offers a snippet of what the public might expect from an upcoming book at his solo exhibition which opened yesterday at Anima Gallery.
“The 21 photos on display is part of a project which I started in 2007 to document the real culture of Qatar amid its rising towers,” Attar told The Peninsula, adding he has so far taken over a hundred photos for his project in progress.
Titled ‘A still on a land in motion’, the exhibition features lomography photographs taken in various places in Qatar with a variety of subjects, all aimed at documenting the quintessence of Qatari culture as seen by the photographer.
“Doha is different from Dubai and other Gulf cities and I wanted to document this as I see it through photos,” he explained.
From breathtaking landscapes to towering skyscrapers to dhows and horses, the diverse collection of photos offers a glimpse into Qatar and its people.
Compared to his previous exhibitions, Attar has used lomography camera in capturing all the images, which he called a ‘bet’ and many times a challenge.
“For me, it’s a big bet with the new technology today, but I wanted to do something different,” he said.
“Lomography concept is something completely different. Under this concept, you work with a very basic camera, with plastic lens, with expired film, one speed, with all the faults. If you lose a shot, it’s over.”
The project has been a great challenge for Attar, in which he has to wait for two months to get the films back from Paris where the photos are printed.
“But here you can see the result; it’s a mix, the old fashion of photography and new technology as they are printed on very high quality Epson digigraph paper.
“Digigraphie is done by Epson to give importance to photography in which the images are limited edition and can last for many years.”
Currently the director of the image bank at the office of
H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Maher Attar has 30 years of experience at international photo agencies.
He is the founder of Art & Privilege publishing company, which has published a number of books on Qatar including Souk Wakif in 2006 and DOHArama in 2010.
The exhibition is open to the public at Anima Gallery until May 28. The limited edition photos are for sale.
The Peninsula
