SPOTLIGHT: ROGER GAESS: PORTFOLIO CONTEST WINNER

Roger Gaess’s story almost writes itself. An excellent writer himself, the Brussels-based dual-national photographer has much to say, and is not shy about saying it. A visit to his website rewards viewers with four image galleries exploring vastly disparate landscapes of Gaess’s curious, and seemingly fearless, mind. This Spotlight portfolio showcases images from his No-Country series.

In an email exchange last June, Gaess wrote that he: “Was born (a long time ago) in the then-industrial city of Waterbury, CT.; completed high school in London; attended a series of U.S. colleges, earning degrees in the liberal and creative arts (with little forethought of what I’d actually do with them); moved to New York’s Greenwich Village, where I lived for many years—first driving a cab at night, and later working in journalism, alternately as a writer and editor. My last editing gig was for a UAE newspaper in Abu Dhabi. I ended up in Brussels in 2013, acquiring residency (through my former wife) and ultimately citizenship.

“Writing and photography are separate but related pursuits for me, though photography is my clear priority. My freelance journalism has often been in Palestinian affairs and/or human rights, so that’s a kind of “connective tissue” as regards to my project No-Country: Into the Arab/Islamic World: An encounter.

“Greetings at Camel Competition” was taken at the annual Al Dhafra festival in the UAE desert. I bluffed my way into a press pass with a newspaper employee ID. Wandering around a viewing stand, I saw these two members of Emirati nobility, lightly touching noses—the traditional aristocratic greeting. It was very businesslike, expressing neither intimacy nor male posturing. I photographed them, for more than anything else, to show their pretensions.

“Painters for Hire.” Most of these house painters were more interested in my wife, who was also photographing them. I saw that I could get all of them into my composition as individuals, and was pleased that most of their eyes were not on me, which provided more time to consider my shot. None smiled for the camera…perhaps because these Yemeni men were tense, desperate for work; and hoping that an employer would show up in the next moment. The country’s people are extremely wage-deprived.

“Waiting.” As in, waiting for Palestinian statehood. This was made in 2022 in the densely populated Chatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanese rightists had perpetuated a large-scale massacre there of Palestinian civilians in conjunction with the Israeli military during Israel’s 1982 war against the Palestine Liberation Organization. Depicted in the poster, right, is PLO leader and head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas. On the upper left (over the “X” banner) is the banner of Hamas, rival to Abbas’ PA. I’d been discouraged from going into the Sabra-Chatila complex unescorted because it was considered dangerous; the camps were outside the jurisdiction of Lebanese security authorities. I arranged for a camp official to have someone guide me, but when I got there, I didn’t manage to hook up with him, so I roamed the camps on my own. I’m glad I did. I didn’t feel in any danger, and I was free to engage people in conversation. I find that going solo is usually worth the effort/risk.

In “Drug Market Personalities,” the drug being sold in Aden is kat, which is chewed for a long time and induces some of the same responses as marijuana. Kat is not only legal in Yemen (it’s illegal in the U.S.), but is a cornerstone of the Yemeni economy. In this picture, I was lucky enough to come away with a slew of different facial expressions, and each one tells a story. The people in the crowd were engaged with each other, as much as with me.

“Rest and Contemplation” depicts the interior of a Cairo mosque. Although the image suggests peace and quiet, I was apprehensive as I wandered around, concerned about being perceived as a trespasser, infringing on private spaces, or shooting where photography might be discouraged or prohibited. Still, I felt privileged to be there. There was much to see (including students absorbed in scripture), and I moved around quite a bit.”