Emirati photographer Jalal Bin Thaneya got his hands dirty while compiling his debut solo show. The self-taught photographer ventured beyond the shiny exterior of the UAE and into its scrapyards, refineries and metalworks to capture the grubby, oily detritus that comes with building a modern city at a rapid rate.
Taking the photographs was one thing, but getting access was a job in itself, explains Bin Thaneya. “The world has become even more security conscious and this has added to the difficulty in creating images related to infrastructure and industry,” he says.
The photography collection, Beyond the Fence, is now on show at Tashkeel gallery and runs until June 11. Tashkeel’s deputy director, Lisa Ball-Lechgar describes Bin Thaneya’s photos as “ghostly scenes.” The images, she adds, “expose society’s all-encompassing reliance on oil and nature’s manipulation by human hands and highlights a side of the UAE largely hidden from view.”