Talib Almarri began taking photographs in 2016, populating his Instagram account with images of wildlife and natural scenery which he came across near his home in Khobar, Saudi Arabia and while travelling in Europe, the Gulf and especially in Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana. In recent years his photography has focused on one location, Buhairat al-Asfar (the lake of al-Asfar) in the governorate of al-Hasa within the Eastern Province known al-Sharqiya, the region that encompasses the full length of the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.

Returning to this place again and again, Almarri is mesmerised by the landscapes where there are hills of soft sand directly overlooking a lake, and plants and vegetation surrounding the lake. Despite the brilliance of the colours around him he mostly chooses to produce his evocative images in black and white, as he finds that black and white successfully imparts the feeling of photography in the work. The lake is a national park, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the most important wetland shallow lakes in the region. It is a place of great environmental diversity, attracting thousands of migratory birds every year with species such as the white heron found in greater numbers there than anywhere else in Saudi Arabia.

‘The lake is in harmony with the water, birds, and weeds, and I only hear the sound of birds and the air when it stirs the grass and the water. I do not allow anything to disturb the peace of the place and the mind. Every time I visit the lake, I find myself attached to this place as if I belong to it. I find a passion within myself for discovering more of it and am always searching for new, unconventional, and purely artistic angles and ideas to express it.’ (Talib Almarri)

– Venetia Porter
written for the 9th edition of 21,39 Jeddah Arts “Amakin”, curated by Venetia Porter, 2022