This post is also available in: العربية (Arabic)
Arif al-Nomay’s Corrupted Files series is heavily symbolic, in its poetic undertones, concerning Yemen’s current state. Because of an accidental technical glitch, hundreds of photos taken at the 2014 Sana’a Summer Festival appear corrupted when opened on a computer. The new images have become compilations of multiple photographs, with some sections and colors left intact, while others are pixelated and indistinguishable. The work is displayed for the first time as light boxes, which heighten the contrast between the disjointed elements in each piece. Individuals, objects and landscapes are visible despite the visual chaos of this joyous and lighthearted celebration.
About the photographer
Arif al-Nomay was born in Ibb, Yemen in 1970 and is currently based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A self-taught artist, he is also a freelance photographer and documentary filmmaker. His practice explores the narratives, aesthetics, culture and politics of Yemen. He has exhibited his work throughout Saudi Arabia and the UAE, most notably at Pharan Studio and Hafez Gallery, both in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In 2017 he was the recipient of the annual Photography LIVE contest in Dubai, UAE.
Arif al-Nomay’s work is currently on display in Berlin as part of the group exhibition ‘On Echoes of Invisible Hearts: Narratives of Yemeni Displacement’ curated by New York based curator Lila Nazemian. The exhibition features artists in Yemen and the diaspora whose works explore themes of loss and estrangement.
Image Courtesy of Arif Al-Nomay
