Oman Through American Eyes Photo Exhibition Opens
Oman Daily Observer
Thursday, November 23, 2006/Dhul Qaada 1, 1427 AH
by Khalid al Jadidi

MUSCAT — A photography exhibit by Professional American photographer Edward Grazda was inaugurated by Sayyid Hamood bin Faisal al Busaidy, Under-Secretary of the Council of Ministers at the Al Afrah Ballroom, Grand Hyatt, yesterday.

Titled, "Religion and Society in Oman through American Eyes," the exhibition showscases around 65 pictures by Grazda and is a joint effort between the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and the Institute for American Values, NY.

It will be open for 10 days after which [it] will be transferred to the US where it will tour a number of universities and colleges around the country. According to Grazda, the exhibition will help shed some light on religious and social life in Oman in a way not known to many Americans.

"As a documentary photographer, I was very happy to be in Oman. Although I knew where Oman was and had seen some photographs taken by Wilfred Thesinger in the early 1950's, it was a completely new place for me. The quiet and peacefulness were a big change from other countries where I have photographed," says Grazda.

"What I have found was a country that is very friendly and hospitable, a landscape beautiful and wonderfully diverse. Every turn in the road was a surprise: the small coves and beaches, the mountain of Jabal al Akhdar, the lush palm groves of Samail, the great quiet of the desert and the cool wadis."

"My intention in photographing Oman was not to concentrate on the tourist sites, although I did visit many, but rather the everyday activities of the people. And it was the people that made my travels so wonderful. Wherever I went, I met people who made my travels so wonderful. Where I stopped, people would invite me to their homes for coffee and dates. Their friendliness and hospitality moved me. I was also impressed at how the country was dealing with the rapid modernisation and change while keeping traditions of family and religion," adds Grazda.

Based in New York City, Grazda studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design and has over many years worked as a photographer in countries throughout the world, having spent more than 25 years closely documenting Afghanistan.

His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the San Francisco Museum of Art and others.

In addition to teaching a photography course at Harvard University, Grazda is the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including one from teh National Endowment for the Arts.

—Pictures by ONA/Salim al Moharbi