XO

In the spring of 2018, Josh Adam Jones journeyed to Oman to unearth and communicate stories about the expatriate communities of its capital city: Muscat. Driven by the desire to challenge his own perspectives and views which had been tainted by Western media, Josh concentrated on the relationships between the local people and expatriates who live harmoniously in the Middle Eastern city.

With over forty-five percent of the population falling into the expatriate category, Muscat has a diverse culture, but with a strong sense of national pride at its heart. The notion of ‘home’ as a recurrent theme quickly became evident, and the word itself contained a multitude of meaning for different people. Regardless of social status, occupation or nationality, there seemed to be an enormity of pride throughout the country’s populace for the place they call home. There was a huge amount of hospitality and generosity shown by the people of Oman, and Josh was fortunate enough to work alongside people within the British Embassy, Oman Tourism College and British School Muscat.

XO is partly a response to Western misconceptions of the East, and misrepresentations of Oriental values and beliefs. The country is peaceful and prosperous; a sanctuary from the conflicts that affect that part of the world. Having since returned to continue the project, Josh invites people to contribute hand written accounts of their idea of ‘home’ and their experiences of Oman.

“If our picture of a place is built upon whatever makes the news, our judgements will be narrowly slanted toward the extremes. The media trades in the sensational, and it can be hard to remedy that bias. What Josh offers instead is the day-to-day complexity of a country, resisting the urge toward drama. The resulting project is a series of photographs so deliberately optimistic that they verge on fiction, the offering of a photographer trying to remedy his own misconceptions. By combining his own images with words from citizens, Josh points to the un-newsworthy and yet salient truth that for many of its 4.6 million diverse inhabitants, Oman is a stable home.” – Harry Flook, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Kamila at Oman Tourism College, 2018.
i

Kamila at Oman Tourism College, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - His Majesty’s Yachts in Sultan Qaboos Port, 2018.
i

His Majesty’s Yachts in Sultan Qaboos Port, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Captain Abdulrauf in his home, 2018.
i

Captain Abdulrauf in his home, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, 2018.
i

Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Dominic. Scan of handwritten text, 2019.
i

Dominic. Scan of handwritten text, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Muttrah Fish Market, 2018.
i

Muttrah Fish Market, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Alex, Tasha & Angus at Al Shatti beach, 2018.
i

Alex, Tasha & Angus at Al Shatti beach, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, 2019.
i

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Joyce at Azaiba beach, 2019.
i

Joyce at Azaiba beach, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Mats drying in Haramel, 2019.
i

Mats drying in Haramel, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Aather, Kody & Samy in their home, 2019.
i

Aather, Kody & Samy in their home, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Alexandra. Scan of handwritten text, 2019.
i

Alexandra. Scan of handwritten text, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Ali in his home, 2018.
i

Ali in his home, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Grounds workers at the British Embassy, 2018.
i

Grounds workers at the British Embassy, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Children playing at Al Shatti beach, 2018.
i

Children playing at Al Shatti beach, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Israa at the British Embassy, 2018.
i

Israa at the British Embassy, 2018.

© Josh Adam Jones - Tumbi playing football, 2019.
i

Tumbi playing football, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Dziko. Scan of handwritten text, 2019.
i

Dziko. Scan of handwritten text, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Pink blossom, 2019.
i

Pink blossom, 2019.

© Josh Adam Jones - Abdullah at Al Shatti beach, 2018.
i

Abdullah at Al Shatti beach, 2018.

Latest Projects

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Stay in the loop


We will send you weekly news on contemporary photography. You can change your mind at any time. We will treat your data with respect. For more information please visit our privacy policy. By ticking here, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with them. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.