Dubai as shutterbug central?

The Gulf's emerging place as a centre for the photographic arts was put under the spotlight at the DIFC last week.

Dubai could soon be the new centre for this art form, said panelists at a discussion held alongside To The Holy Lands, the exhibition of 19th century black and white photographs of Holy Sites of pilgrimage in the region.

"For a long time, it has been major cultural exchange centres, such as New York, London and Berlin that have led the way and defined for all others what was and what wasn't, what is and what will be. At this moment Dubai could very well become the definer rather than the defined," said Roberto Lopardo, Chair of the Visual Communications Department and Assistant Professor of Photography at the American University in Dubai.

Lopardo's says that at this moment, rather than having to look outward, this city and its residents can look inward for this avant-garde cultural production. "We can look inward. Being on the very cusp of what is in vogue, what is hip, what is real is of the utmost importance to the art community," he said.

This is a departure from the current import-led approach to the arts in the UAE and could spawn a new movement that could throw up some fine young talents.