São Paulo – The Brazilian photographers André Joaquim and Leonardo Wen are heading to Qatar this week, where they will spend five days photographing landscapes, places and people in the Arab country. Their photos will be part of a show due on June 3rd, at the gallery of the Qatar Photographic Society, in Doha, along with pictures taken by two Qatari professionals who travelled to Brazil last March.
The project is a part of the Qatar-Brazil 2014 Year of Culture, sponsored by the Qatar Museums Authority. The goal is to showcase each of the countries’ cultures as seen by photographers from the other country. During their stay in the Gulf country, Joaquim and Wen will travel to the North, West and South of Qatar, to the capital Doha and to wildlife preservation sites.
They will take pictures of places such as the Museum of Islamic Art; the Corniche, an oceanfront promenade spanning several kilometres in Doha; the Zubarah Fort, which has been declared World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), the Barzan Tower; the fruit and produce market; the desert; The Al Wabra farm, with green areas, palm trees and wild animals; among others.
The show will feature 60 snapshots from the photographers’ travels, 15 by each. It should also include a behind-the-scenes documentary of the trips, since they will travel alongside cameramen.
The photographers
The photographers were shortlisted for the trip to Qatar by the Qatar Museums Authority after the portfolios of 40 professionals were surveyed by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture and the National Arts Foundation (Funarte).
Wen, aged 32, has worked as a photographer for 10 years, and says this will be his first trip to a Middle Eastern country. “It will be a unique experience. The opportunity to take part in a great program such as this one does not happen everyday,” he says. He has lived in London and Madrid and photographed cities in Europe and Latin America.
Joaquim, aged 40, has published five photography books, including one with pictures of Tokyo and Kyoto, in Japan.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
