Mosfiqur Rohan, Memories of Underdevelopment, 2017–2023. Image courtesy of the artist

Curated by Sara Al Mheiri, Assistant Curator of the Sharjah Art Foundation, the 12th edition of Vantage Point Sharjah (VPS), the annual exhibition that spotlights emerging photographers from the region and beyond, derives its title, If I Were Another, from a poem by Mahmoud Darwish. Of the artists who responded to this thematic prompt through an international open call, four were selected for the exhibition. The featured works reflect on personal experiences, history and collective memory. While the photographic images have been created using various methodologies, they all recall fragmented memories that resonate with universal human experiences. 

About the artists 

Based in France since 2016, Sara Kontar (b. 1996) is a Syrian artist, photographer and filmmaker. In 2021, she founded Al-Ayoun, a platform dedicated to visual storytellers in Syria and the diaspora. Her archival documentary project Towards A Light was exhibited at Palais de Tokyo in 2024. Her photography series Therefore, I Cut won the Inge Morath Award by Magnum Foundation and travelled to New York City, Marrakesh and the ArtExpola Festival in 2024. Her project Paper Homes (2023–ongoing),  which she began while studying visual journalism at VII Foundation in Arles, is a culmination of interviews with individuals in exile. Kontar earned a master's degree in animation cinema from L’École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (ENSAD). She is also part of a collaborative project titled Two Songs of Diaspora with Magnum Foundation’s Arab Documentary Photography Program. 

Thasil Suhara Backer (b. 1992, Kerala) examines the intersection of biopolitics with ecology through a practice encompassing a variety of mediums, including performance, photography, video, sculptural assemblages, intuitive drawings and text. His notable projects include Anthology on Place and Sound (Norient Sound), Muziris to Lakhpat (India Foundation for the Arts) and Elephant in the Room (Conflictorium-Museum of Conflict). Among his group shows are Care is Art, Art is Care (2024) and Permanent Conference (2023). He earned a master’s degree in performing arts from the University of Hyderabad and subsequently trained at the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore. Additionally, he received a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Calicut, Kerala, and the Young Artist Fellowship from India’s Ministry of Culture (2013–2014).

Arum Dayu (b. 1984, Central Java, Indonesia) examines modern Javanese culture and society through photojournalism. She started her career with Kompas, a daily newspaper in Indonesia, and has since participated in several exhibitions, workshops and artist residences in the country and abroad. She initiated a study group named Kami Punya Cerita [We Have Our Own Story], located in Tobucil and Klabs, Bandung. Part of the collective Omnikolektif, she is also active in the music scene as a member of the bands Tetangga Pak Gesang and Syarikat Idola Remaja. Dayu earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Sebelas Maret University (2007), a diploma in photojournalism from Ateneo de Manila University (2012) and a master’s degree in visual art from Bandung Institute of Technology (2020).

​​Anthropologist and documentary photographer Mosfiqur Rahman Johan (b. 1997, Bangladesh) travels across Bangladesh to capture visual narratives highlighting humanitarian issues and underrepresented stories. He blends his artistic approach with long-term immersion in the field to convey nuanced and sensitive observations on complex issues, such as enforced disappearances, police brutality and environmental degradation. His project Memories of Underdevelopment won the Lenscratch Student Prize (2024) and has been exhibited internationally. In 2019, Johan enrolled at Brac University to study anthropology and enhance his skills in ethnography and research-based documentary techniques. 

Bringing together diverse voices and lived experiences, the exhibition embodies the spirit of experimentation in contemporary photography and provides a dynamic platform for a spectrum of approaches, from documentary to experimental, in both analogue and digital forms. The artists’ work began showcasing as independent presentations throughout Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, Arts Square, Sharjah, from 28 September, and will continue to run until 8 December 2024. Vantage Point Sharjah 12 also includes a one-on-one professional mentoring programme, pairing artists with cultural practitioners or industry professionals of their choice.

Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications. Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art.