Substations, an Exhibition of Photographs by Sinisa Vlajkovic and Mohamed Somji

Substations is an intimate reflection on the character and experience of community in Dubai and the UAE; in the background hover questions of invisible economies, urbanity versus wilderness, and changing social values. Sinisa Vlajkovic and Mohamed Somji’s direct, minimalist approach yields rich emotional texture on a decidedly human scale. Illuminating the outskirts of Dubai like flickering candles, their subjects – small diesel stations – provide a respite from the city’s dizzying lights and imported glamour.

Resembling the first stations that were built several decades ago and started the region’s diesel trade, these isolated stations are a distinct contrast to the Middle East’s high-profile petroleum sector. It is an exhibit of vernacular architecture: constructed with scavenged materials, they are maintained with simple amenities and local hospitality. They challenge the city’s impersonal modernization with a reassurance that there is always time for tea and an armchair conversation.

With its horizon of superlative heights and conspicuous wealth, Dubai is designed to eclipse everything else. Yet the mega-watt metropolis is newly-minted by history’s measure, forged into the desert wilderness with an architectural frenzy. To gaze beyond the city limits is to remember that it has not always been so. It is here, at the geographic seams of Dubai’s unbridled development, that Vlajkovic and Somji have paused to document the quiet moments of a vestigial culture. They photographed by night on the less-traveled roads, and listened to the stories behind each unique diesel station.

Substation 1 - Al Ghail, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, 2007, Photo: Courtesy of the Artists and The Pavilion Downtown Dubai.

Substation 2 - Masfout, Ajman, UAE, 2008, Photo: Courtesy of the Artists and The Pavilion Downtown Dubai.

Substation 3 - Masfout, Ajman, UAE, 2010, Photo: Courtesy of the Artists and The Pavilion Downtown Dubai.

Substation 4 - Al Ghail, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, 2011, Photo: Courtesy of the Artists and The Pavilion Downtown Dubai.

Substation 5 - Masfout, Ajman, UAE, 2008, Photo: Courtesy of the Artists and The Pavilion Downtown Dubai.

Substation 6 - Masfout, Ajman, UAE, 2008, Photo: Courtesy of the Artists and The Pavilion Downtown Dubai.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mohamed Somji
was born in Tanzania, moved to Dubai a month later and has lived there since. With a short interlude in the US to pursue a degree in Business Administration and Marketing, he quit his corporate career in 2006 to take up photography professionally. His work provides a critical commentary on social issues and approaches that lend unique perspectives to his subjects. Somji is co-founder of the ‘seeing things’ photography and video agency based in Dubai, UAE and is also at the helm of Gulf Photo Plus, a Dubai-based community resource. In addition to offering regular photography workshops, the organization hosts a week-long annual event that draws the world’s preeminent talent in photography and hosts events and activities with a view to nurturing and developing photography talent in the region.
http://www.mohamedsomji.com

Sinisa Vlajkovic
was born in Belgrade, Serbia and studied Regional Planning at the University of Belgrade, graduating in 1994. The following year, in pursuit of a more creative future, he switched to graphic design and advertising. Between 1995 and today, he has worked as an art director for leading advertising agencies in Belgrade, London, Beirut, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while in parallel maintaining personal photography projects. His work has received recognition at major photography festivals in New York, Los Angeles, London and Dubai and has been featured in publications such as Lens Culture and Creative Review Photography Annual.
http://www.sinisavlajkovic.net

ABOUT THE PAVILION DOWNTOWN DUBAI

The Pavilion Downtown Dubai is the city’s newest dedicated non-profit contemporary art space providing a place to view, discuss and participate in works by local and international artists. Developed by the multidivisional group Cultural Engineering, The Pavilion is a unique hub for a diverse range of art events offering a platform to promote an active arts community to the public and to support the work of a rising generation of artists in the region.
http://pavilion.ae/