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FIAP EXHIBITION CENTRES WORLD AFFILIATE

“Kemet” - The Egyptian - Emirati Photography Forum:

When Egypt Becomes an Open Studio for Photographers

By Prof Alaa Elbasha ESFIAP
FIAP Liaison Officer, Egypt and
Administrator for Adasa Club

Last November, Egypt
hosted one of the most
significant contemporary
photography experiences in
the Arab world through the
Egyptian–Emirati Photography
Forum “Kemet.” The forum
Exhibition Centres collaboration between Adasa
was the result of an official

Photography Club (Egypt) and
Photography
Emirates
the
held
Society,
the
under
patronage of the Egyptian
Ministry of Culture, represented
by the Fine Arts Sector, and with
the support and sponsorship
of the Embassy of the United
Arab Emirates in Egypt. The
initiative reflected a shared World Affiliate
cultural vision and highlighted
the power of photography as
a bridge between nations and
artistic communities.

Running under the
slogan “From the Nile to the
Gulf – Kemet”, the forum
was designed specifically for
The official poster of the Egyptian-Emirati forum photographers. It brought
under the slogan “From the Nile to the Gulf – Kemet together Egyptian and Emirati
participants in an immersive
visual journey that went far beyond a conventional photo tour. Moving across Cairo, Luxor, and
Aswan, the program transformed Egypt into a vast open studio, offering rich opportunities in
street photography, environmental portraiture, architectural photography, landscape, motion,
documentary, and conceptual photography, while encouraging each photographer to develop a
personal visual language.
The journey began in Cairo, where the The Grand Egyptian Museum provided an essential
visual introduction to Egypt’s layered identity. The experience then moved into the lively streets
of Khan El Khalili, where photographers engaged directly with everyday life, practicing street and
environmental portrait photography amid dense historical architecture, mixed lighting conditions,
and spontaneous human moments that form the backbone of visual storytelling.

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