Photographer Soud’s exhibition captures beauty of mosques in Oman

MUSCAT: Omani photographer Soud Al Buhriy’s first solo show ‘The Spirit of Cohesion’ will be held at Gallery Sarah in Muscat on Tuesday.
“Soud relied on himself in the acquisition of knowledge. He began his career in photography at an early grade in school,” a statement from the gallery said.
The exhibition will showcase an array of photographs of different mosques around Oman, where the photographer attempts to depict the deeper and important role that mosques play in creating an atmosphere of tolerance and bridging ties in the community.
“Besides the distinctive architecture of each mosque, Soud also highlights its social aspects. Taking advantage of the stunning nature of Oman, Soud captures its amusing landscape to form the narrative image,” the statement added. Soud has used his unique vision to express his concept of the deeper role of mosques and emphasised it by using different techniques, such as maintaining a monochromatic theme, rather than coloured images to prevent distraction and keep the focus on his subject matter. Another aspect of the photographs is that they are devoid of the living element. The photographer has waited for a long time to take shots without any human beings or animals in the surroundings. In terms of finishing, Soud defied the concept of framing his works in black and instead, chose white as an attempt to continue portraying the image and grant a comprehensive design to his subject matter. In 1993, Soud joined the Photography Club in the Omani Society of Fine Arts and became an active member in the Photographic Society of Oman.
He has participated in numerous exhibitions hosted there.
In 2006, Saud began the pursuit of his personal photography with ‘Panorama of the Capital Muscat’.
The project lasted two years, leading to his own exhibition in February 2008, hosted by the Omani Society of Fine Arts. The exhibition contained 35 unique panoramic images.
Later the same year, he displayed some of these images in Berlin, with the participation of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of Oman.
In 2013, the second project exhibition was held entitled ‘The Essence of the Mosque’. Through that exhibition, Soud illustrated the importance and depth of the mosque and its role in tolerance and deepening ties in the community, as well as a place of worship.
The exhibition was displayed in Bait Al Baranda Museum and the Photographic Society of Oman.
‘The Spirit of Cohesion’ will be on display from January 3 till February 2 from 9.30 am till 5.30pm.