As a child, Sami Sasso, a photographer from Lebanon, relocated to Dubai from Nigeria in 1996, and was immediately captivated by the city’s vehicles, which included new and sparkling German sedans, streamlined Italian speedsters, and modified Japanese sports cars, among others, traversing the city’s roads that were still developing at that time. Sasso’s fascination with the variety of cars he saw was one of the reasons why he developed an interest in photography, as he wanted to capture the beauty and design of automobiles.
“As a teenager living in Dubai, I was surrounded by all the nice cars,” he reportedly says. “I asked my mom to get me a camera because I wanted to show people online all the cars that I’m seeing. I always felt an attraction towards the camera, but definitely, the main purpose was to shoot cars. I shot cars for a long time, eventually going to magazines. Nowadays, I shoot a lot for auctions.”
Sasso has been practicing photography for many years, refining his skills and exploring its potential as a means of creative expression. He recently showcased his latest work, “Fragment,” at Sharjah’s Xposure International Photography Festival. The series features close-up photographs of cars that range from the rich black shades of Shelby Cobras to the vibrant reds of Ferraris, the striking yellows of Lamborghinis, and the bright green tones of BMWs, arranged in a gradient. Originally produced as a limited set of 25 fine-art prints in 2021, the collection was later showcased in a digital format at the Kanvas gallery located in Al Quoz 1 in Dubai.
Sasso plans to expand the “Fragment” series by creating a 12 by 12 grid that showcases a color gradient made up of 144 photographs, which he had initially envisioned during the project’s early stages but decided to postpone in favor of the Kanvas and Xposure exhibitions. He reveals that he has planned an extensive road trip in the upcoming summer, which will involve travelling from France to Mongolia with two classic cars, and taking numerous photographs along the way.