Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, chairman of the Sharjah Media Council has confirmed that the 5th edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival, a prominent event held annually at Expo Centre Sharjah to showcase exciting works of the world's celebrated artists has been moved to February 2021. He noted that in response to the exceptional circumstances posed by the coronavirus outbreak, including global travel restrictions, physical distancing and other precautionary measures in place to curb its spread, the festival organizers, Sharjah Government Media Bureau have now decided to hold the event from Feb. 10 to 13. The event was originally scheduled to be held in September this year. Announcing the new dates, Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed said: "We have pushed back the dates of the 5th edition in keeping with the UAE and Sharjah government's precautionary guidelines, and as a safety measure to avoid any risk to the thousands of attendees and participants who convene at Xposure every year." "True appreciation of photography requires physical interaction with this art form. One of the key objectives of Xposure is to convene award-winning photographers from around the world on one global platform to share their stories, experiences and expertise with peers as well as their audiences. Live, in-person interactions, workshops and activities are a major part of this festival's offerings, which is why we preferred to push the dates of the 5th edition rather than changing the festival's format," he added. "The festival attracts the world's best photographers and photography enthusiasts from across the region and around the world. In the wake of the travel restrictions currently in place globally, and to allow our participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19, we believe it is the right decision to host the event in February 2021," Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed continued. "We are designing the upcoming edition of Xposure to be exceptional as all levels. Images presented at the event will be a tribute to the art form, and include ground-breaking images that have created headlines world over in depicting a year that will go down in history," he said in conclusion. — WAM
