علي الشريف

Alsharif’s practice centres on documentary and archival photography, pairing image-making with long-term collecting and research. His private archive includes rare photographic prints and negative films, often sourced through antique networks and family holdings, and presented through exhibitions and public engagement.

His collection is described as a visual record of everyday life, public figures, and social change across the region, spanning the late nineteenth century through to the year 2000. Rather than treating photographs as memorabilia, he frames them as evidence and as a tool for intergenerational storytelling.

Alongside collecting, Alsharif develops narrative projects that translate archives into contemporary formats. He produced a screen series inspired by Reflections from Thought, 36 Reflections by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, using episode-based storytelling to connect written reflection with visual memory.

His publishing work includes bilingual coffee table books that spotlight overlooked photographic histories, including early Emirati television photography, student life in Cairo, and family albums drawn from private collections. In recent years, he has also contributed to documentary programming that profiles Emirati collectors and private museums, extending his interest from photography into broader material culture.