"Exposure 2026" It runs in Sharjah from January 29 until February 4

Sharjah, January 18 / WAM / The tenth session of the International Photography Festival “Xposure 2026”, which will be held at Aljada in Sharjah from January 29 to February 4 next, under the slogan “A Decade of Visual Storytelling”, dedicates the “Documentary Projects” area as a space for long-term visual projects that rely on research, field accompaniment, and building the story over time, and includes 13 documentary exhibitions by photographers from multiple schools and experiences that address the topics of climate change and displacement. Identity, memory, customs and traditions, within a presentation that allows the audience to read the image as an integrated visual narrative based on verification and moral commitment in documentation.

“Exposure 2026” presents a series of dialogue sessions and workshops during which visitors meet with a number of exhibition owners participating in the “Documentary Projects” area, to learn about the development paths of long-term projects and discuss the challenges of field photography in dangerous and sensitive environments and the ethics of documentary visual narration.

The “Documentary Projects Zone” exhibitions are divided into visual and narrative axes with the participation of prominent names in long-term projects, including Michael Yamashita, one of the most prominent National Geographic photographers in the world, Tomasz Tomaszewski, known for his humanitarian work in sensitive environments, Philippe Chancel, the owner of documentary projects that deal with political transformations and identity, and Anoush Babajanian, who is distinguished by long field projects in areas of conflict and social transformation.

The exhibitions, in the environment and climate theme, provide visual readings of the impact of environmental transformations on local communities, from coastal erosion and the decline of natural resources to changing lifestyles related to water and agriculture. Some projects address the relationship between humans and the land as a threatened but ongoing relationship, as in the exhibitions that monitor environmental transformations in coastal areas or inland lakes that are facing decline, while in the theme of conflict, displacement, and social transformations, projects are presented that document the impact of conflicts and major political changes on individuals and communities, through long-term follow-up of the lives of people. People in areas that witnessed wars, forced displacement, or severe social transformations. These exhibitions present the image as a tool for understanding the aftermath of the event and how life continues in light of the loss of a place or the change in its social structure.

In the theme of memory, traditions, and identity of place, the exhibitions focus on the relationship between man and his cultural and urban surroundings, from documenting religious rituals and practices to reading abandoned architecture as a witness to time and transformations. Projects that deal with place as a bearer of memory stand out in this theme, whether in villages and traditional communities or in buildings and sites that have lost their function and whose traces remain.

The science and visual research axis dedicates space to projects that translate scientific knowledge into understandable visual narratives. Some exhibitions address climate research, polar science, ice samples, and marine environments, presenting the image as a medium that links scientific data to the general public without compromising the accuracy or complexity of the information.

Italian photographer Matilde Gattoni will present a dialogue session entitled “Ocean Rage: West Africa Swallowed by the Sea,” in which she addresses coastal erosion in West Africa and the resulting loss of homes, lands, and livelihoods, in addition to a session entitled: “Focus… Frame… Accomplish” by Shuaib Khattab, presenting the path to building a professional practice in photography.

The “How to Build Confidence in Difficult Places” session, by Tomasz Tomaszewski, reviews practical methods for building confidence while photographing in sensitive environments, while Anoush Babajanyan leads the “Beyond the Alal Sea” session, which reviews the scene of the Aral Sea after its receding.

“Stories Trapped in Ice” by Lukasz Larsson Warzekha explains how deep ice cores preserve a record of climate and human events, and “The Art of Failure and Embracing Your Vulnerability” by Tim Smith discusses turning mistakes into action and editing approaches that maintain respect for community and its context.

The International Photography Festival “Xposure 2026” brings together an elite group of international creatives and specialists, and its program includes more than 126 sessions, inspiring speeches, 72 workshops, and 280 artistic biographical evaluation sessions presented by international experts, and allows the public to explore 95 exhibitions that include 3,200 works of art.

The Xposure World Photography Awards 2026 also attracted a total of 29,000 photography entries and 634 film entries from 60 countries.

• For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter