Sarah Taqvi

The smell of eucalyptus and lavender oil mingles with the earthy aroma of henna paste lingering in the room. Jaya Robbins’s hands, already stained with henna on the tips, carefully pour a freshly made paste into a plastic pastry bag atop a large cup covered with a single pantyhose sock.

The exhibition Dining With the Sultan, on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, offers a feast for the eyes—and is the first to consider historical Islamic art within the context of serving fine food in various Muslim empires, according to curator Linda Komaroff.

Photography “speaks directly to your emotions,” says Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo, which holds the world’s leading contest for news and documentary photography. Since she joined in 2021, she has organized six new global partnerships to “be our guides” and diversify the images and themes that earn annual awards for top visual storytelling. And she isn’t a photographer.