Known for beautifully raw images of the modern world, Bas Princen’s exhibit “Refuge, Five Cities” currently on display at the Storefront for Art and Architecture shows a series of rare architectural finds in the Middle East.

A trained architect, Princen uses photography not only to capture a sense of space but also as a way of subtly discussing current problems occurring within his field.

In “Refuge,” Princen stresses the growing divide in the Middle East between those living the dream and those building it. With little or no people pictured, the images remind us of sites whose initial purpose are long forgotten and have been completely abandoned by man. Photographed during his travels throughout Istanbul, Beirut, Amman, Cairo and Dubai, the obscure buildings also represent the influx of refugees hired on for their cheap labor, but who in turn have created an infrastructure nightmare.

Priscen came to this project through the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, an international event of exhibitions, conferences, lectures and other activities devoted to themes in the field of architecture and urbanism.

The exhibition runs through to the 26th of June 2010.

Read the orginal blog post here on Cool Hunting