Having premiered at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Prix Pictet Storm exhibition is now making its way to the UAE, courtesy of the Ishara Art Foundation, for its first international iteration. This latest exhibition from the leading award for photography and sustainability centres on the theme Storm, with 12 shortlisted photographers showcasing their work on the natural phenomenon, expressing it both literally and metaphorically.
As part of the exhibition, Palestinian photographer and journalist Belal Khaled is showcasing works from his series Hands Tell Stories (2023), a project he began while living in a tent outside the morgue at Nasser Hospital, Gaza. “The ‘storm’ in my photographs is not a metaphor but a lived reality. My images document a storm of death and destruction; tons of explosives fell on my home and my neighbourhood,” Khaled, who is now based in Doha, Qatar, explains to MOJEH. “I know the true meaning of a storm because I was inside it and saw bodies torn apart by the force of the blasts.”
His lens focuses on the hands narrating tragedy: moving debris after a blast, reaching for water, holding a loved one, and grappling with the reality of death. The photographer depicts “the storm of death unleashed by the occupation,” while also emphasising the resilience that comes after. “It was met with another storm — one of resilience, hope and rebuilding. That is why, within my photographs, you also find stories that create moments of joy amid genocide, and hands that rebuild what has been destroyed in order to survive,” says Khaled.
While Khaled recognises the professional milestone the Prix Pictet presents, he fails to feel enthusiasm as more than 240 of his colleagues have been killed to date. “I see this shortlisting not simply as a personal achievement but as a continuation of the mission they began: to carry their voices forward and to shine a light on the ongoing suffering of journalists,” he explains. “With every crime we document through photographs, we keep it as a witness to what has been committed against humanity, making it present before the world not only in the news but in our collective memory.”
Khaled invites viewers to the exhibition where he and other renowned photographers including Takashi Arai, Camille Seaman and Marina Caneve tackle topics of environmental collapse, economic instability, and social unrest through their images. Prix Pictet runs from 17 October to 13 December 2025 at the Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, UAE.
Originally Published In The October 2025 Issue of MOJEH Magazine. Subscribe
