Mohammed and his grandson. When asked what was his most precious ‘belonging’ after fleeing from Iraq to Jordan, Mohammed said it was his grandson, born in the exile. When we discussed how he would like to be remembered and his picture taken, Mohammed asked to do it with the child on his lap.

After photography

My research project focus on the reality of Iraqi minority groups waiting in the Middle East as asylum seekers.

This theme is not uncommon and as the refugee crisis was somehow massively covered by the media in general, movies, documentaries, and kind of all sorts of forms of art extensively published pieces about it, therefore my concern is to display this reality emphasizing on empowerment and collaboration.

I want every person displayed on the images to participate on the process of making their final photograph.

That will include drawings, writing, movement, and composition of the image. This process gives authenticity to the photos and also brings the viewer closer to the people displayed on them.

The idea is to show these asylum seekers are people like us and at the same time promote talks on how their needs still need to be addressed.