A woman smiles. Her face is draped in beautiful white hijab. Her eyes glisten with experience and are aligned with signs of age. This image is from Faces of the Middle East, a poignant compilation of photography of the people and places which make up the Middle East shot by Dubai One’s Australian TV presenter Hermoine Macura. A selection of her work is now on display at the Corp Executive Apartments in Al Barsha, Dubai.
These are pictures which tell a different story about the Middle East. They exude the warmth of the region’s people, the depth of it’s history and the stunning beauty of the natural and architectural edifices which make up this vast and multi-layered area of culture. The photographs were taken during Hermoine’s seven years of travel throughout the region. “Faces of the Middle East is a book that goes beyond the national and political boundaries to bring together the people of the region through photographs. I have been told it is too utopian. However, my greatest desire is to see peace in the region. I hope this project helps to create dialogue and open people’s minds to understanding each other better,” says Hermoine.
Through her work Macura show how the Middle East is much more than a monolithic culture. This is a richly diverse area which has greatly contributed to economic, historical and societal development of the world today. Her photographs exhibit neither a definitive story nor a political statement. What they do is tell the tales of everyday life in the Middle East through the region’s modest inhabitants. Faces of the Middle East highlights the common thread of humanity in order to further understand the crux of the region despite its political, cultural and economic upheavals.
On display at the Corp Executive Apartments are over 30 photographs as well as a selection of the Faces of the Middle East Apartment Art Collection, artistic impressions based off Hermoine’s images which can serve as a unique collector’s item. These appropriations of Hermoine’s moving images into works of art create intimate and personalized emblem exuding a powerful image of humanity from the Middle East.
Faces of the Middle East has been published by UAE based COVA group and is available at most good bookstores across the country. A series of exhibitions are being organized regionally and internationally to coincide with the book’s regional and international release.
Faces of the Middle East at the Corp Executive Hotel Apartments in Al Barsha through June 28th
+971 4 316 4040
For more information visit facesofthemiddleeast.com
