The series named ‘Qatar: Old Hearts, New World’ commissioned by the Qatar Museums is part of the organising bodies annual cultural exchange programme with 2014’s focus being on Qatar Brazil. The title of the show named ‘Huna Hunak’ (Arabic) translated as ‘Here There’ aimed to showcase emerging artists from both regions.

The series is a collection of images focusing on the relationship between the ever-growing modernisation of Qatar and its traditional roots as a Muslim country.

The portraits I have taken of Qatari Nationals, attempts to spin the formal notions of traditional portraiture in this region by combining elements captured in my previous observations and documentation of the ever-changing Doha landscape. By eschewing the conventional, more formal restraints of Arab portraiture, which I have grown up seeing, in favour of a more minimalist, ‘modern’ approach.

Observing the allure of consumerism and capitalism that has for so long dominated the Western World and how this has directly impacted the Gulf in such a short amount of time. My aim was to present both the traditional values which are still so deeply rooted in Middle Eastern culture alongside the undeniable growth and development of the country’s infrastructure and how they sit alongside one another; both unquestionably providing Qatar with its unique identity. To join the dialogue and view more related information click here