We met Mohamed Somji in his photography studio, Gulf Photo Plus, in Alserkal to talk the relatability of photography, and entry points for first-time buyers.

Why Photography? What does photography allow you that other mediums don’t?

Photography is the most practiced art from amongst the public, because it’s so relatable. Unlike other art forms, it has few barriers to entry, it’s easy and affordable, all you really need is a phone and then anyone can really start making important, and interesting work.

Social media really helps distribute it, unlike sculpture for example, where you need to have a physical space, and it’s difficult to really appreciate it on social media. Photography is quite the opposite, and so that helps to be able to tell the breadth and range of stories that we are interested in platforming. Photography can give way to other mediums as well, and you can use it as a vehicle to start the dialogue.

What prompted you to start GPP, dedicated to printing and showcasing photography?

So, way back when I wanted to get into the field of documentary photography, I found that there was a real gap in having a space where I could learn, where I could meet other photographers, where I could get photos prints. So that was the genesis of Gulf Photo Plus (GPP). We started off initially by offering workshops, and that was a way for me to sustain GPP, whilst also continuing with my own photography projects. As the digital era started, the demand for photography grew and that gave way for GPP to grow. It went from a place where we just did workshops, to now having a fully fledged space. We’ve been here in Alserkal for 12 years now.

We moved here in 2011 and it gave us the opportunity to have a workshop space, but also a gallery space. That was really exciting because we were the first ones to be a dedicated photography space that not just exhibited work, but also provided workshops, printing. Then we moved onto doing lots of things like, hosting photographer’s prints, having talks, and we even had our own festival.

Why is it important to have a space like GPP in Dubai - what is missing in the scene with regards to photography as a medium?

The space is important because we are trying to really elevate the discourse around photography. We’re a public art space, and we do have to run as a business, but it’s really important for us to keep the discourse around photography moving forward, and really push the boundaries, making critical and engaging work that goes beyond that very shallow aesthetic nature of photography. While that is good, we want to go beyond that and provide a means for expression for socio-political issues. Photography can do this quite powerfully. We are a space that is unlike a traditional gallery or a big institution. 

GPP is somewhere in the middle, we want it to be an inviting space. Often people will come and develop their film here and sit down and meet other photographers, and I think that’s the space that we hope for. I’m happy to say that it does serve that purpose, and long may that continue!

"Photography is the most practiced art from amongst the public, because it’s so relatable."

What materials or processes do you like to use and follow at GPP?

At Gulf Photo Plus (GPP), we’re all photographers, and so we’re all very particular about the kind of processes we use, even the light temperature here to make sure the colour management works. In terms of paper and media, Martin is the expert. So when people come to GPP and want to print something, Martin will advise them - what colours they want, whether they’re going to frame them, if they want any particular glass - really helping them understand what works best.

 We also want to offer a variety of media for people that are on a budget, or people who want the best quality archival  giclée prints that will last for, say, 120 years. For framing we also offer a variety of options from the different types of frames to museum glass versus regular glass. That’s important for us and our offering. We’re really happy to have kind of expanded on our own, building our knowledge base with all the work that we’ve done over the years, working with a variety of clients. 

How do you approach exhibitions - what are the themes you work to showcase?

For exhibitions, our choices are determined by work that is from the region, of the region. It's often thought-provoking, interesting, critical, and also it should give space to people who want to experiment with the form of photography, beyond just the image alone. 

We also have community exhibitions, like the one that you are seeing right now, which is a grouping of photography from the Swana region, everything from Algeria to Yemen. We’re giving people a chance to be exhibited because the availability of spaces like these are getting tighter and tighter. We do this once a year, we have an open call, and then we really allow anyone to submit images or work for consideration.

How has your own practice influenced your time in the city, and the development of GPP?

 So look, I'm Dubai through and through. I wasn't born here, but I moved here a few months after I was born. I'm almost as old as the city is Dubai, so I've kind of seen its development, and I think some of the aspects of growing up here or being part of society here are interesting to me, and that's what I'd like to focus on in my personal work. 

Of course, Gulf Photo Plus and other obligations keep me from being able to engage fully with making my own work, but I like to think that I live vicariously through the photographers that we work with and that we support, whose work we show here. 

The idea of being from Dubai but not being from Dubai is something I like to explore or think about when making work. 

One of the things we try and do at GPP is to use photography as an excuse to uncover and complicate these narratives. We’re trying to get people to think beyond photography as a two-dimensional art practice, but to also use other forms to expand it, whether it’s text or video or sound or an installation or a performance. We make a lot of space for that, because we think that’s important. 

"We welcome people that are interested in the subject matter that the artists are working on, people that want to own and treasure that work"

How do you think we can encourage upcoming collectors to take an interest in photography?

I take issue with the word ‘collecting’. It’s very much about hoarding and adding to your assets and these are not necessarily pretty or ‘aesthetically pleasing’ but it has a lot of meaning and interesting cultural and sociopolitical context. For us, the driving force for someone who wants to purchase photography is that they are engaged with that work, they’re interested in what the artist is trying to say, and also that they want to support the kind of artists that they feel are making work that intrigues and interests them, piques their curiosity! 

This is especially true to the photography that we are trying to platform, and you will see this at our booth in Editions. It will be something that almost a wide range of people can afford, starting at AED500. We will also have limited edition work that is a little more premium, but these are by artists that are more established, but again it’s always going to be rooted in some kind of more interesting discourse rather than being art for the sake of art. 

We are really trying to get people who have never bought a work of art before. We welcome people that are interested in the subject matter that the artists are working on, people that want to own and treasure that work, and to have conversations with people who come over to their house or office and see the work, and the owners are able to speak to the artist and their interest in the project. That’s what we are really interested in platforming.