Born in Sana'a, Yemen, in 1969, Boushra Y. Almutawakel studied in the USA and Yemen, obtaining a BSBA in International Business at the American University in Washington, DC. It was during her time as a student, that she became interested in photography, and worked as a photojournalist on the university newspaper and yearbook, and as a photo lab assistant at the School of Communications. On her return to Yemen in 1994 she worked mainly as an educational adviser but continued developing her photographic work, participating in many group exhibitions
In 1996 she was a founding member of the Al-Halaqa in Sana'a, an artists' group which created a space for discourse and exhibitions and forged links with international artists.
In 1998, Boushra became a full-time photographer, and some of her clients have included the United Nations, CARE International, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Social Organisation for Family Development, the National Institute for Health Education, The British Council, The French Embassy, the French Cultural Center, Nixen, Foundry, Business & Accounting Magazine, fd.Outlook, Yemen Today, as well as various commercial and individual clients, while pursuing her own personal photographic projects. In 1999, she was honoured as the first Yemeni Woman Photographer, with a number of other Yemeni women pioneers by the Empirical Research and Women's Studies Centre at Sana'a University.
In 2001 Boushra won a World Studio Foundation Scholarship toward her study for a Diploma in Advertising Photography at the Portfolio Centre, Atlanta, USA, completing the program in 2002. As a photo student, she won Mac on Campus (1st place),Show South (gold), among others and her work was published in CMYK magazine (2001-2) and Graphis New Talent Design Annual (2002). She has been featured in Yemen Times, Yemen Observer, Yemen Today, Artasiapacific Almanac 2011, El Pais, Muse, as well as the web magazine Nafas Art Magazine and photo blogs such as 500 Photographers, Greater Middle East Photo, Mrs. Deane and the New Yorker's Photo Booth.
Boushra worked as a consultant on cultural affairs for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington (2002-3) and organised a series of events in the DC area, as part of the 'Windows on the Cultural Heritage of Yemen", a symposium at the Smithsonian, as well as exhibits, lectures, concerts and film screenings on Yemen. From 2005-2006 she worked at the Ministry of Human Rights in Sana'a, focusing on women's issues, while also pursuing her photography.
Boushra Almutawakel currently works and lives in Sana'a, with her husband and their four lovely daughters.
She Who Tells a Story explores themes of identity, war,occupation and protest. It refutes the conventional idea that Arab and Iranian women are oppressed or powerless,illuminating the fact that women are creating some of the most significant photographic work in the region today. The exhibition features artists Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Gohar Dashti, Rana El Nemr, Lalla Essaydi, Shadi Ghadirian, Tanya Habjouqa, Rula Halawani, Nermine Hammam, Rania Matar, Shirin Neshat and Newsha Tavakolian.
© Gohar Dashti, Untitled #5, from the series “Today’s Lifeand War,” 2008/Courtesy of the artist, Azita Bina, and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston
“These groundbreaking artists challenge us to rethink our preconceived notions about Arab and Iranian women and their art,” said N...
In Arabic, the word rawiya means “she who tells a story.” The photographs in this exhibition—made by women with roots in Iran and the Arab world—are themselves a collection of stories.
She Who Tells a Story introduces the pioneering work of 12 leading women photographers who have tackled the very notion of representation with passion and power, questioning tradition and challenging perceptions of Middle Eastern identity. Their provocative work ranges from fine art to photojournalism and provides insights into political and social issues, including questions of personal identity and the complex political and social landscapes of their home regions in images of great sophistication, expressiveness, and beauty. She Who Tells a Story is an invitation not only to discover new photography, but to shi...
New York – Howard Greenberg Gallery will show The Middle East Revealed: A Female Perspective, images exploring identity, culture, politics, and the history of the region, from June 26 – August 30, 2014.
The exhibition features the work of four contemporary artists Boushra Almutawakel of Yemen, Shadi Ghadirian of Iran, Rania Matar of Lebanon, and Reem Al Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The photographs will be on view for the first time in New York. In addition, the gallery will show photographs from Syria made in 1940 by Margaret Bourke-White for LIFE magazine. The exhibition will open with a reception on Thursday, June 26, from 6-8 p.m.
In 1940, seven months before the United States entered World War II, LIFE magazine sent photographer Margaret Bourke-White, the first female photojournalist, to the young r...