Encapsulated Volume 1: Photo essays on Khaleejiness

Future Perfect, Catastrophe and The Contemporary is a 200-page publication featuring contributions from Rohit Goel, Frank Ruda, Walid Sadek, Mays Albaik, Ala Younis, Isaac Sullivan, Veeranganakumari Solanki, and Rico Franci. The book results from conversations that were part of the Future Perfect coEncapsulated Volume 1: Photoessays on Khaleejiness will work as a meeting ground between intellectual and cultural thought around what the Khaleeji experience entails to a newer generation of our society.

This book will consider the works of curated youth Khaleeji photographers, commentary by the SWALIF editors, and external writing contributions by cultural practitioners.

Identity, a practice that is constantly innovated and reshaped, is exciting to some but frightening to others. Therefore, we aim to question the legitimacy of attempting to define the Khaleeji identity and ultimately conclude that Khaleejiness is a new plane where we currently roam upon, experiencing both the confinement and freedom of our space and self-realization.
We are encapsulating our present, to be looked at as though it is the past, and allow room for our future.

SWALIF

A Publishing House is an independent collective based in the UAE, providing emerging writers and artists in the MENA region a platform through which they can explore their craft and showcase their work to the world. In the Khaleeji dialect, the word 'swalif' means conversations and interactions - we want to redevelop the way we exchange thoughts, and hope to build a sense of community and connection amongst art and literature enthusiasts by facilitating conversations through various mediums, including book/magazine publishing, gallery participation, exhibition hosting, podcast production, film screenings, and more.lloquium in November 2021.