Abeer Al-Kuwari
Artist & Photographer
Abeer Al-Kuwari is a multidisciplinary visual artist who emerged in the field of photography. She is the first female member of Qatar photography society. She has been awarded many certificates and won numerous awards in photography. Her primary focus is on portrait photography and still life, and has numerous years of experience in black and white filming. She employs both traditional film techniques, as well as using digital photography.
Her practice encompasses Drawing, Sculpture, and Photography. Her style depends on careful study and her interest lies in studying Qatar’s heritage, society, and the nation’s environment. She particularly focuses on Qatari women and Qatari fashion through a historical lens. She both documents the various stages that Qatari fashion has experienced, as well as analyzing its modern contemporary forms.
Starting in 2016, she participated within the renowned and prestigious Fire Station Residence program, part of Qatar Museums, in Qatar.
Sara Al-Obaidly
Photographer & Filmmaker
Sara Al Obaidly (b.1987; Doha, Qatar) is a photographer and filmmaker of Qatari-British heritage, living and working between London and Doha. Growing up in the United Kingdom, Al Obaidly received an MA in Sustainable Design and a BA in Textiles Design from the University of Brighton; completing an Art and Design Foundation at Ravensbourne University.
Al Obaidly has been exhibited internationally in museums and galleries including FFotogallery, Cardiff (2019), Dar Museum, Kuwait City (2019), Manege, St Petersburg (2018), Kraftwerk, Berlin (2017), National Portrait Gallery, London (2016 & 2014), Museum of Islamic Art Park, Doha (2015) and AlRiwaq, Doha (2014). Her work has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Italia, Creative Review Photography Annual, Le Monde and on TIME’s ‘LightBox’ in ‘22 of this year’s best portraits 2014.
In 2019 she received the ‘Artist of the Year Award’ from Grazia Arabia, and has also been recognized with an honorary mention in the Life Framer Awards under the theme ‘Youthhood’ in 2016. Al Obaidly has been awarded art residencies at the International Studio and Curatorial Program, New York, USA (2019) and the Doha Fire Station, Qatar (2015); as well as receiving training from the prestigious French film school La Femis, Paris (2016).
Robert Landau
Author & Photographer
Robert Landau is best known for his work photographing unique aspects of the Los Angeles urban landscape. Born and raised in L.A., Landau began shooting his native city as a teenager in the 1960s when he documented the ephemeral hand-painted rock and roll billboards that lined the Sunset Strip at that time. He continued this work on into the early 1980s and the resulting collection of images has recently been published in the best-selling and critically acclaimed book “Rock ‘N’ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip” (Angel City Press). A traveling exhibition of images from the book is being circulated to museums by Photographic Traveling Exhibitions (PTE) and a film documentary on the subject is currently in the works.
Landau, who graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 1976, has now published six books related to photography and popular culture. Along with the Sunset Strip billboards Robert has been photographing unique elements of the Los Angeles cityscape continuously for close to 50 years and is compiling a new book that will span and showcase the work.
Robert also works as a photojournalist on travel/editorial related assignments, often collaborating with renowned travel expert Peter Greenberg. He has provided still photo coverage for several episodes of Peter’s PBS series “The Royal Tour”, following Kings, Presidents, and Prime Ministers as they conduct personal tours of their home countries. Subjects have included King Abdullah ll of Jordan, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand and others. Landau has also spent a great deal of time in Turkey and images from these travels as well as others from his now extensive travel archives have been widely published and are represented in the prestigious Getty Images collection and can also be found at Alamy.com.
Zach Houghton
Founder, Passion Passport
Zach Houghton is the son of a travel-writing father and a wanderlust mother who met on a bus in Guatemala. He is the founder of Passion Passport, a startup that provides inspirational and purpose-driven travel storytelling, develops photo and video content, and designs experiential campaigns for brands and tourism boards. In his work at Passion Passport, Zach has developed full-scale creative campaigns with brands such as Amtrak, Cathay Pacific, Adobe, Expedia, Southwest, and Hyatt.
In his first career, Zach worked as a commodities trader in Hong Kong. During this time, he explored different parts of Australasia while managing key relationships with clients in the metals industry. He oversaw his firm’s operations in Taiwan, India, and parts of mainland China, developing multi-million dollar contracts.
Zach attended Columbia University and received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a specialization in foreign languages. During his time at Columbia, he was also captain of the swim team. Over the course of his career, he competed at the Canadian Olympic Trials in swimming on three separate occasions.
In his years of travels, Zach has always sought to immerse himself through one of the five languages he speaks. His photography work has been featured in international publications and media.
Malak Al Mahmoud
Malak has a lifelong interest in the creative arts including both fashion design and interior design. She is also interested in the role of the arts in facilitating cultural diplomacy. Even though she was born and raised in Qatar, she has traveled and lived internationally. Because of her travels, she has developed a passion for cultural exchange and the cultivation of mutual respect among countries.
Malak is currently working on a cultural exchange exhibition between Qatar and the United States. The exhibition focuses on the heritages of Texas and Doha. It is a collaboration between the University of Houston, the General Consulate of Qatar in Houston and the Qatar-America Institute. Future exhibitions will be pursued and will feature a variety of locations.
Malak’s creative experience has included several projects. She received the 2008 VCUQ Golden Needle Award for her work with women’s clothing design. She also worked extensively with Qatar Luxury Group in the development and production stages of the Qatar luxury brand QELA. Under the direct supervision of French fashion designer Stephane Rolland, she designed and constructed prototype patterns for several products including leather goods and shoes. Additionally, she collaborated with French and Italian manufacturers for exclusivity in production.
Malak received her undergraduate degree from Virginia Common Wealth University in Qatar with a double major in Fashion and Interior Design. Currently, she is completing her Master of Arts in Arts Leadership at the University of Houston. This program emphasizes multiple aspects of arts management including strategic planning, legal considerations, fundraising, and alternative business models including entrepreneurial and nonprofit.
