A new view of the Middle East, through the photographer's lens

London - For most Westerners the Middle East sounds a depressing place: conflict, war, civil war and more war, but there is an alternative view now on show in London.

Light From the Middle East: New Photography is the name of an exhibition currently on show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in Central London. Although it opened on November 13, it has received precious little coverage, but on Saturday it was reviewed by The News Line, a publication more noted for class war than classy pictures. The exhibition is running until April 3 next year at the Museum's Porter Gallery, and judging by some of the featured photographs, is worth a peak, although it does not appear to be entirely war-free. There is extended opening until 10pm Friday nights, and best of all it is free. If the names Walid Raad and Taysir Batniji don't exactly roll off the tongue, try to think of them as the Middle East equivalent of the future David Bailey or Lord Snowdon. Well, who knows?