Xposure traces human and global transformations

Sharjah: The 10th edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival 2026 will feature a Documentary Zone dedicated to long-form visual projects built on research, fieldwork, and storytelling over time.

The zone showcases 13 documentary exhibitions by photographers representing diverse approaches and schools of practice, addressing themes such as climate change, displacement, identity, memory, and cultural customs and traditions.

Together, the exhibitions invite visitors to experience photography as a complete visual narrative, grounded in ethical responsibility and truthful documentation.

Further strengthening public engagement with documentary photography, Xposure 2026 presents a series of talks and workshops in which visitors meet photographers exhibiting at the Documentary Zone.

From Michael Yamashita’s gallery the work "Great Wall of China: From Beginning to End Juyongguan Great Wall

The talks explore how long-term projects are developed, examine the challenges of field photography in sensitive and high-risk environments, and discuss the ethics of documentary visual storytelling.

Environmental change and climate challenges

Exhibitions in the Documentary Zone include prominent practitioners such as Michael Yamashita, one of National Geographic’s most recognised photographers; Tomasz Tomaszewski, known for human-centred work in sensitive environments; Philippe Chancel, whose documentary projects examine political change and identity; and Anush Babajanyan, noted for extended field projects in conflict zones and contexts of social transformation.

Within the environment and climate theme, the exhibitions offer visual readings of how environmental shifts affect local communities, from coastal erosion and declining natural resources to changing ways of life in communities impacted by agricultural challenges. Several projects examine the human–land relationship as threatened yet enduring, including exhibitions documenting ecological change in coastal regions and inland lakes facing severe shrinkage.

Conflict seen through the lens

The conflict, displacement, and social transformation theme brings together projects that document the impact of war and major political change on individuals and communities. Through long-term follow-up in places shaped by conflict, displacement, or acute social shifts, the exhibitions present photography as a tool for understanding what follows the headline moment, how life continues when a place is lost or when the social fabric of a community is fundamentally altered.

From Lukasz Larsson Warzecha & Ulrika Larsson’s gallery Stories Trapped in Ice the work SEPP KIPFSTUHL PORTRAIT - EASTGRIP, GREENLAND. At seventy years of age, Kipfstuhl is a veteran of arctic and antarctic research. He has participated in over 32 expeditions to the polar regions and was involved in the drilling and analyzing of numerous ice cores.

Places as holders of memory and identity

In the memory, traditions, and identity of place theme, exhibitions focus on the relationship between people and their cultural and urban environments, from documenting rituals and religious practices to holding abandoned architecture as a witness to time and transformation. Projects in this theme treat place as a carrier of memory, whether in traditional villages and communities, or in buildings and sites that have lost their function but retained their imprint.

From Athanasios Maloukos’s gallery Religio Mundi: A Spiritual Journey the work Anatolia’s Mysticism. Whirling dervishes belong to the Mevlevi order, founded in the 13th century by poet and mystic Rumi in Konya, Turkey. Their spinning is a sacred meditation, not performance. The Seyh, seen as Allah’s representative, leads the sema ritual with grace, devotion, and spiritual authority.

Photography as scientific inquiry

The science and visual research theme highlights projects that translate scientific knowledge into accessible visual storytelling. Several exhibitions address climate research, cover polar regions, deep ice samples, and marine environments, positioning photography as a bridge between scientific data and public understanding, without compromising accuracy.

Talks led by Documentary Zone participants

Coastal erosion across West Africa

On January 29 at 14:15, Italian photographer Matilde Gattoni will present a talk titled ‘Ocean Rage: West Africa Is Being Swallowed by The Sea’, addressing coastal erosion across West Africa and how climate change dismantles livelihoods, culture, and food security. On the same day at 15:35, photographer Shoayb Khattab delivers a talk titled ‘Focus. Frame. Fulfil’, tracing the path of building a professional practice in photography.

From Matilde Gattoni’s gallery Ocean Rage the work Ghana - Fuveme - A woman stands beside her damaged house as ocean water rises in the streets.

Photographing in sensitive environments

On January 31 at 15:55, Tomasz Tomaszewski will present a talk on ‘How to Build Trust in Difficult Places’, sharing practical methods for earning trust when photographing in sensitive situations. Later the same day at 17:25, Anush Babajanyan presents ‘After the Aral Sea’, a talk that explores the landscape and communities left in the wake of a dramatically retreating sea.

‘Stories Trapped in Ice’

On February 2 at 22:00, Lukasz Larsson Warzecha will share ‘Stories Trapped in Ice’, a talk examining how deep ice samples preserve records of climate and human events. Finally, on 3 February at 17:00, Tim Smith will lead a session titled ‘The Art of Screwing up and Embracing Your Weaknesses’, exploring tools for transforming mistakes into an intentional creative process, and discussing editing approaches that maintain respect for communities and context.

From Mustafa Bilge Satkın’s gallery the work In the Shadow of Noah From a hilltop, elderly residents watch as rising waters swallow their homes, erasing landscapes and memories shaped over generations.

The Documentary Zone at Xposure 2026 underscores the festival’s commitment to promoting documentary photography as a responsible, knowledge-driven practice, balancing the power of the image with the depth of research, and reaffirming long-term visual projects as one of the most vital forms of contemporary visual storytelling. Through this programme, the zone reflects Xposure’s vision of positioning photography as a platform for dialogue on how we read and understand the world and its transformations.