For years, Syrian-American photographer Sueraya Shaheen has captured stunning images that have riveted viewers across the globe with her ability to seemingly peer into the very souls of the people and moments that she eternalizes through the lens of her camera.
Viewing Sueraya’s incredible work can be described as an experience that is vast and robust; a navigation of international corridors and personalities. As a testament to this, Shaheen’s photos have been featured in iconic publications in print and online such as The Economist, Paper City, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Harpers Bazaar, muraqqa.com, VIVRE Catalogue, Hello Magazine and The Herald Tribune, to name just a few. Sueraya’s images have been displayed in exhibits across the globe, including at the famed Barbara Davis Gallery in Houston, TX.
Shaheen is now being featured in an exclusive solo exhibit at La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art in Manama, which runs March 13 through June 10th, 2015, from 9:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sueraya’s exhibit, titled “Encounters” features a documentary-style collection that highlights some of the leading artists throughout the Middle East.
Photo Credit: Sueraya Shaheen
Sueraya Shaheen was born in Beirut, educated in Switzerland and lived about London prior to moving to the United States, where she attended Corcoran College of Art and Design, attaining a Bachelor in Fine Arts. Shaheen worked as a freelance photo-journalist for nearly twenty years, gaining international acclaim for her harrowing and personal images.
In 2009, Sueraya felt a strong desire to return to her roots and capture the emerging artists of the Middle East. This labor of love resulted in an intimate, yet bold compilation of the creatives throughout this region and is sure to leave a lasting impression for generations to come. “You generally see art in white-walled galleries or catalogs and changing hands in the market place,” she said, “but there are real people involved and I wanted to show art’s humanness by photographing artists in their own environments, which so often reflect who they are.”
“ENCOUNTERS” has been met with great critical acclaim, and the opening reception, which took place on March 12, 2015 included a dinner performance by accomplished jazz performers, which included Parisian pianist Nicolas Leseur and vocalists Hans Stockenberger of the United States and Yeliz Christensen, who yields from Turkey and Canada.
For more information regarding Sueraya’s exhibit, you can contact La Fontaine on +973 230 123 or via email at info@lafontaineartcentre.net.
