22-05-2025
Sharp shooting: Highlights from ‘In a New Light,' the Kingdom Photography Awards exhibit
DUBAI: The exhibition of work by the 30 winners of the Kingdom Photography Awards runs until May 25 at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah
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Khaled Khazim Sarai Al-Ghaithi Al-Shammari
'A Serene Night'
This year's Kingdom Photography Awards received more than 1,300 entries from Saudi Arabia-based photographers, and a total of more than 6,000 photographs. 'Each image submitted reflects a distinct vision — capturing moments that inspire, challenge, and celebrate the richness of human experience,' Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission, writes in the exhibition catalogue. 'The remarkable work featured in the exhibition … stands as a testament to what happens when vision meets talent.'
Al-Shammari's winning image, the photographer writes in the catalogue, shows 'Hasalat, located in the southwest of Qassim near Dharya, captured in a serene night where trees stand still beneath the stars.'
Huda Ali Al-Neb
'Riyadh; Saturated'
Al-Neb won for this image from her series that 'playfully explores the beauty and significance of Saudi architecture, a theme that has fascinated me since childhood,' she writes. 'In first grade, I learned that the traditional buildings I grew up with were made from mud, and I wondered what they would look like if built with colored sand instead. This series … brings to life those childhood fantasies.' Al-Neb adds that she hopes to expand her project to 'showcase historic buildings across Saudi Arabia.'
Marwin Pastores Javier
'Coffee and Tea'
'Each of the 30 selected photographers reveal the possibilities of the medium, demonstrating its power to inspire, provoke, and inform,' curator Mohamed Somji writes in the exhibition catalogue. '(They) challenge traditional notions of what makes a 'good' photograph. (The works are) attentive to the rhythm of places, daily rituals, social habits, and connections between people.' Javier's winning image shows a roadside vendor of hot beverages in Tabuk.
Mohammed Othman M Alshahrani
'An Evening of Baloot'
Alshahrani's winning image, shot in the town of Bisha in Asir, shows the photographer's father, uncles, brothers and cousins playing the popular trick card game Baloot, which, Alshahrani says in his artist's statement, is 'a tradition in many homes and gatherings, sparking lively competition and bonding.'
Kawthar Ali Ibrahim Alghasham
'A Moment of Waiting'
The images in the exhibition, curator Mohamed Somji writes, 'reveal character through subtle interactions, glimpsing personal, spiritual, and familial reflections, or showing known scenes from unexpected angles.' Alghasham's winning image is an example of the latter. 'As sunlight floods King Fahd Airport's lounge, a solitary man's pause defies the frenetic nature of travel,' Alghasham writes in his artist's statement.
Salman Fahad Alanazi
'After the Storm, 2030'
Alanazi's dramatic image of a sandstorm hitting Saudi Arabia's capital was taken before the launch of Saudi Vision 2030. Since then, he says, 'with major projects like the Riyadh Green Project, which reduced dust in the city, alongside the creation and planting of nature reserves,' no similar 'Hollywood-like dust wave' has been seen in Riyadh.
