10 March 2016: Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) will present a series of panel discussions and workshops featuring top photography experts and professionals at Dubai Photo Exhibition. The Exhibition will also incorporate a range of fun family activities, alongside its thrilling exhibits of over 700 museum quality photographs from 23 countries around the world.

The exhibition, which is free to enter, will run from March 16 – 19 in a purpose-designed ‘temporary museum’ at the Dubai Design District (d3).

“We at HIPA are excited to be sharing this exhibition with the public, and with Dubai Photo Exhibition we aim to foster an atmosphere of creative discovery for visitors of all ages,” says His Excellency Ali Bin Thalith, Secretary General of HIPA. “Alongside an unprecedented presentation of exceptional photography, Dubai Photo Exhibition will introduce the art form to new audiences through a public programme that includes stimulating discussions between photography experts and also fun activities for families.

We are very much looking forward to the completion of our ‘temporary museum’. For an exhibition this special, we knew we needed a particularly high-quality structure to match, and I think visitors will be delighted and impressed with the presentation and overall quality of this event.”

The ‘Temporary Museum’
Details have been announced about the special purpose-built structure in d3 that will house Dubai Photo Exhibition’s extraordinary artworks. The ‘temporary museum’ will consist of five connected structures, covering an area of 2890 square meters. With 7776 square meters of wall space, and lit by 1600 lights, the structure will be supported by 39 metric tons of steel. From start to finish, the build will be realised in just 22 days.

Photography Fun Street
For those looking for family-friendly activities over the weekend, visitors to Dubai Photo Exhibition will also be able to enjoy Photography Fun Street, with movie screenings at an outdoor cinema, camera and photography-related product demonstrations, onsite photo challenges for children, live musical entertainment, and refreshments from a variety of food trucks.

Outdoor screenings will run each evening on 16-19 March and will include episodes of reality series ‘I am a National Geographic Photographer’, where 8 amateur photographers from the MENA region compete to win the title, and family-friendly movies such as ‘Bridge to Terabithia’.

Friday and Saturday will see family activities at the fore. The ‘Soorah Challenge’ will provide an opportunity for children 12 and under to participate in onsite photography competitions, including an ‘I Spy’ book reading and related challenge; there will be camera and photography-related product demonstrations by the likes of Canon, Polaroid, and Nikon; and festive food trucks serving varied cuisines will provide refreshment through out the day.

Live musical entertainment throughout the run of the exhibition will include peformances by Dubai-based singer songwriters Adam Showalter, Alan Farragher, David Beats Goliath, and Adam Shero Baluch, as well as Sherif Moghazy, the premier handpan player in the Arab World. Dubai Photo Forum 2 As part of its public programing, the exhibition will present Dubai Photo Forum 2, a discussion platform for proposing and debating important and sensitive issues in the field of photography. The forum aims to draw the attention of photographers from around the world to Dubai as a centre for photography, and to act as a vehicle for intellectual photographic discussion that is open to all, from industry professional to casual enthusiasts.

Five in-depth lectures and discussions will cover the following topics: ‘East vs West: A Clash of Photographic Style?’, ‘Women in Photography’, ‘Witnessing Arab Photography: Past, Present and Future’, ‘Judging: International Standards and Judges’ Personalities’, and ‘GCC Photographers: International Competitors or Would-Be Professionals?’.

Eminent local and international speakers will include Tom Ang, photographer, best-selling author and broadcaster (New Zealand); Dimitri Beck, Editor-in-chief of photojournalism publication Polka Magazine (France); Eman Helal, news and documentary photojournalist (Egypt); documentary photographer Maggie Steber (USA); photographer, professor, and former Chair of the World Press Photo jury, Shahidul Alam (Bangladesh); Jassim Al Awadhi, Curator of the UAE exhibit, Dubai Photo Exhibition; and His Excellency Ali bin Thalith, Secretary General of HIPA, amongst many others.