Cinematic is an over-used term when it comes to photography, but for José Javier Serrano, aka Yosigo, the description is perhaps apt. Hailing from San Sebastian in Northern Spain, the photographer – who has published several books – injects a filmic quality into the most mundane of subjects, from housing complexes to burnt-out cars.
From “Mare de Deu“, a dissertation on his own apartment that transforms the humble stool into an objet d’art to “Greetings From”, which makes even the bars of Benidorm look appealing, Yosigo specialises in elevating the humble.
It was clear that he would not be resorting to the usual Dubai or Middle Eastern clichés in his picture series. “I actually haven’t seen many images of Dubai before this trip, so I felt totally free to shoot what really caught my attention,” he says.
With an adage of always finding light, and a content focus of tourism, the following images represent a both tourist paradise and a peculiar unknown – the quiet moments of the UAE that turn any traditional perception of it, on its head.
“I was fascinated by the repetition of elements and the colors of the buildings,” he says. The shots dissect the lesser-known architecture of the UAE – in his eyes, a nondescript housing block becomes the scene of a cinematic masterpiece; a burnt-out row of cars in the desert proves the perfect mise-en-scène to a Mad Max, apocalyptic-style adventure. In all, vivid orange and blue hues saturate the lens, imbuing the viewer with light and warmth.
“Dubai has been a 100 per cent photographic journey,” he says. “I wanted to visit and photograph a lot and it has not disappointed me at all.”
