"An Expression of Absence: Selections from the Arab Documentary Photography Program" is an exhibition organized jointly by Magnum Foundation and the Bronx Documentary Center in New York City, which will showcase the works of fifteen Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP) photographers. The exhibit opens today October 26 at Magnum Foundation and on October 28 at Bronx Documentary Center, and will run until December 18, 2022.

Taking inspiration from Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and English arts critic John Berger, the exhibit explores ways in which photography conjures absence to represent time, memory, disappearance, loss, and erasure. In a context where the legacies of colonialism and political instability have imbued notions of home and belonging with impermanence and nostalgia, how can what's within the frame point to the hidden and missing?

Curated by ADPP 2016 photographer Roi Saade and by Rola Khayat (Magnum fellow 2020), “An Expression of Absence” features selected works by the following ADPP photographers:

Abdo Shanan, Amina Kadous, Rehab Eldalil, Salih Basheer and Sara Sallam
Exhibition site: Magnum Foundation 59 East 4th Street #7W, New York, NY 10003
Exhibition hours: Thurs 3-6PM

Abd Doumany, Ameen Abo Kaseem, Dania Hany, Hicham Gardaf, Maen Hammad, Nadia Bseiso, Omar Imam, Seif Kousmate, Thana Faroq and Zied Ben Romdhane
Exhibition site: Bronx Documentary Center 614 Courtlandt Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451
Exhibition hours: Thurs-Fri 3-7PM + Sat-Sun 1-5PM

The Arab Documentary Photography Program is a joint initiative of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture – AFAC, the Magnum Foundation and the Prince Claus Fund. To view the above photographers’ photo projects and more, visit the ADPP website.