The Beginnings of a Nation > Photographs of #Dubai in the 80s by Photographer Anita Van Der Krol

The Beginnings of a Nation 

Exhibition of Works by Photographer Anita Van der Krol
Opening reception Sunday, November 30th from 7pm - 10pm

The Empty Quarter Gallery, DIFC, Dubai

During the celebration of The Arab Emirates 43rd year as a federation, we look back on a time before the concrete and steel towers, luxury hotels and sophisticated restaurants. “It was a period of transition from nomadic life to the first communities of this newly founded nation,” states Van Der Krol.

The Empty Quarter Gallery is pleased to present photographs of the United Arab Emirates in a compelling body of work entitled “The Beginnings of a Nation” by Dutch photographer Anita Van der Krol. 

In 1975, the wife of a Dutch dredging engineer, Anita Van der Krol was in a unique position to shoot intimate pictures of the first nomads to settle in this land. Living as an expat in Jumeirah, she became one of the first inhabitants of Jebel Ali Village. Rather naively, Van Der Krol ventured out to the villages, souks and sandy desert, with two small children in tow and managed to win the confidence and respect of the hundreds of people she met while photographing their way of life. “Some of them had never had a photo of themselves before. They were delighted and you can see that in the photographs,” states Van der Krol. 

The Bedouin images from the desert must have been among the last taken, before this entire population gave up their nomadic existence and settled down to form towns and villages.