Aside
Less than a century ago, the territory of the United Arab Emirates was little more than arid desert. The discovery of oil transformed it into one of the wealthiest economies in the region, attracting successive waves of migrant workers from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Today, Emirati nationals make up only around 20 percent of the population, while the remaining 80 percent are foreigners — most of them men who arrive without their families to work in construction and industry. This demographic imbalance has given rise to industrial districts where the presence of women is a rarity.
The photographic series was created in Mussafah, an industrial town on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. Unlike the city’s polished facade of skyscrapers, mosques, and landscaped parks, Mussafah reveals another reality: labor camps and street grids where houses fall into an almost mathematical order. While the monumental architecture and new roads project an image of prosperity to tourists and the world, this hidden side remains largely unseen. It is a landscape built and inhabited by migrant workers - rarely acknowledged, yet essential to the country’s very existence.
Less than a century ago, the territory of the United Arab Emirates was little more than arid desert. The discovery of oil transformed it into one of the wealthiest economies in the region, attracting successive waves of migrant workers from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Today, Emirati nationals make up only around 20 percent of the population, while the remaining 80 percent are foreigners — most of them men who arrive without their families to work in construction and industry. This demographic imbalance has given rise to industrial districts where the presence of women is a rarity.
The photographic series was created in Mussafah, an industrial town on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. Unlike the city’s polished facade of skyscrapers, mosques, and landscaped parks, Mussafah reveals another reality: labor camps and street grids where houses fall into an almost mathematical order. While the monumental architecture and new roads project an image of prosperity to tourists and the world, this hidden side remains largely unseen. It is a landscape built and inhabited by migrant workers - rarely acknowledged, yet essential to the country’s very existence.
