There’s something intriguing about the Dubai landscape.
A desert turned into a manmade oasis, photographer Nick Hannes thought so, too. He has just won a Magnum Award for his series Bread and Circuses, which showcases the city as the “ultimate playground of globalisation and capitalism”.
Photographers of all levels in various categories were invited to enter their bodies of work – here’s a look at the winners from last year.
The documentary series winner, Hannes’ photographs of the urban jungle don’t judge, but rather offer “witty glimpses of a lifestyle that can seem alien to many”, reports the BBC Culture.
Take a look:
Hannes wrote in the project’s description that:
Dubai is both fascinating and controversial. It has fans and critics. I don’t like to decide what viewers should think when looking at my work; they should fill in the story according to their own visions and knowledge.
The rapid transformation of Dubai from a dusty fishing town in the ‘60s to the ultramodern metropolis of today fascinates both supporters and critics.
Hannes told BBC Culture:
Ninety per cent of the population of Dubai are expats.
Within this extremely heterogeneous group I decided to focus primarily on the upper middle class – the wealthier segment of society. I went to the places the members in this group go to have fun: nightclubs, beaches, theme parks, hotels, malls.
As Hannes explains, the humour in his work is a “conduit to something deeper and more profound”. People tend to laugh at first sight of what he has captured, but soon realise what they see is actually not funny, giving them a sense of confusion – which is good, he explains:
Rather than giving answers I’d like to raise questions.
Yeah, I don’t know how they keep the sand off the roads either.
[source:bbc]
