Finding your footing in the creative industry is difficult. It’s even harder if you’re an emerging black or brown photographer.
2019 was a big year for raising discussions about the need for inclusive representation in the creative industries. Seeing more diversity on runways, campaigns and covers is amazing. But are we really inciting change if things remain the same behind the scenes?
A new generation of Arab talent is changing the game and rewriting our narrative behind the camera, so it’s time we give them a well-deserved shout out.
In 2020, it’s high time for the creative industries to become truly inclusive and allow Arab photographers to work through their own gaze. Here are the ones we’re most excited about.
Hayat Osamah
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7ceyghR05/
A young Saudi native, Osamah has never left her country. But that isn’t stopping her from dreaming big and fighting conservative standards with an entirely new creative framework. A new generation of talent is lighting up the country’s creative scene and she is at the centre of this movement, having already worked with brands like Farfetch and Diesel. We love her honest, touching portraits that capture the carefree essence of Saudi youth.
Bilal El Kadhi
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnO6WUthRsI/
El Khadi’s photography feels so ethereally beautiful. Sun-soaked and somewhat surrealistic, his images provide instant escapism. Having already worked with brands like Isabel Marant, Dior and Adidas, the young and wildly talented French-Tunisian deserves a place on your radar.
Hanane El Ouardani
The 25-year-old Dutch-Moroccan is famed for her rose-tinted, delicate documentation of the beauty of life in Morocco. Reinvigorate your feed by hitting the follow button.
Jawher Ouni
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu05o_-HUG0/
Through his intimate documentary style, Tunisian photographer Jawher Ouni’s pure and ultra-realistic images capture a softer side of his country’s rural area. And it’s leaving us in awe.
Taha
Defying gender norms, Taha is one of the young people driving Saudi’s creative rebirth. We love his raw, candid photographic work.
