Trendy art and design centre Warehouse421 has just opened a new and exciting exhibition.
Lest We Forget: The Universality of Family Photographs explores the similarities between family photographs that have been taken all around the world, from the UAE to Spain.
On display until July 28, the collection is an extension of the pieces that were included in the gallery’s 2015 exhibition Lest We Forget: Emirati Family Photographs 1950 – 1999.
Created by the arts and heritage initiative Lest We Forget and Spanish artist María José Rodríguez Escolar, the latest collection explores how the photographs, taken by unrelated families living thousands of miles apart, preserve memories and express each family’s cultural identity.
Demonstrating the links between communities around the world, the display furthers Warehouse421’s ambition to celebrate locally-relevant narratives through thought-provoking works.
It also shows how the UAE is linked to the rest of the world.
Faisal Al Hassan, manager at Warehouse421, says: “We are proud of our continuous collaboration with the Lest We Forget team on what will be a captivating exploration into our region’s history and the humanity that unites us. This sentiment fits seamlessly with Warehouse421’s own values and we look forward to engaging our community in the UAE’s storied past”.
Meanwhile, Dr. Michele Bambling, creative director of Lest We Forget, says: “Family photographs express interest in, and affection for, the people, places, activities and moments that are most close and dear to us. Those who took the photographs, appeared in the photographs, kept the photographs and viewed the photographs represent circles of human connectivity.
“In the context of this exhibition and book, these family photographs have been removed from the privacy of their albums and displayed publicly, in juxtaposition, to reveal commonalities of human experience, thought and feeling. In the intimacy of the photographs we recognise similarities between different people and cultures.”
A book about the exhibition will also be released and it’s free to enter.
We can’t wait to get over there and check it out.
Free. Until Jul 28, 10am-8pm.Warehouse421, Mina Zayed (02 676 8803).
