Moath Alofi
Born in Madina in 1984, Moath Alofi is an artist, researcher, and explorer. Currently, he is Exhibitions and Programmes Manager at Diriyah Gate Development Authority. Alofi is also the founder of artistic studio Al-Mthba, and the co-founder of Erth Team, a production group trained and specialised in safari trips, aerial photography, and travel documentation.
After obtaining his BA in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development from Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia, Alofi returned
to his hometown of Madina, only to experience a culture shock towards his own community. The difficulty of adaptability inspired a need for creation, and photography became his adjusting mechanism. Treating the holy city
as both his studio and an open museum, in 2013 Alofi began a journey of photographic documentation. With a focus on cultural artifacts, heritage, and hidden treasures, Alofi has since expanded to documenting and exploring the greater Madina Region, in both its barren and urbanised glory, and expresses an interest in expanding his artistic explorations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a whole. Throughout his artistic career, Alofi has exhibited works in Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Bahrain, Oman, London, Paris, Brussels, Moscow, New Mexico, Utah and Seoul.
A photographic series that captures desolated mosques scattered along the winding roads leading to the holy city of Medina, Saudi Arabia, it documents mosques built by philanthropists hoping to offer a haven for travelers, both of whom seek to reap the sacramental rewards. – Moath Alofi
