Iraq Through the Eyes of Local Photographers

1978 - Qaladze, Iraq - Portrait of a neighbor. © Twana Abdullah/DARST

06/08/2011 - Sulaimaniyah, Iraq - An exhausted worker falls asleep on the loading ramp of a van in 2011. © Ali Arkady/VII Photo

01/10/13 - Shlake, Iraqi Kurdistan - Iraq-Syria border - Syrian smugglers on the 4 hour walk from Iraq into Syria. © Aram Karim

07/27/15, Zakho, Iraq -- Jihan 20 years-old From Sinon, Sinjar area Date of capture: 04/08/2014 Length of captivity: 10 months.

1970's - Iran - Portrait of three friends in a Kurdish refugee camp in Iran. The photographer used water colors to colorise the black and white prints. © Twana Abdullah/DARST

08/13/14 - Chomi Choman, Iraqi Kurdistan - Iraq-Iran border. A group of Iranian smugglers sit around the fire to dry themselves after the whole night spent crossing the river to smuggle fuel into Iraq. © Aram Karim

02/03/2012 - Baghdad, Iraq - Street scene in Baghdad. © Ali Arkady/VII Photo

04/04/2015, Kirkuk,Iraq: Widad (Sunni Muslim) visits Ghanem's (Christian) part of the house for a friendly tea session.

12/28/2014 - Shabaddin, Iraqi Kurdistan - Iran-Iraq border. A large number of smugglers cross Shabaddin river, the border between Iraq and Iran. The Iranian army observe from distance after having received a small fee to avoid creating troubles. © Aram Karim

1970's - Ranya, Iraq - friends of the photographer walk on the streets at sunset © Twana Abdullah/DARST

Through the eyes of a young generation of Iraqi photographers, Over My Eyes presents moments of daily life in Iraq, a country trapped by conflict. The project is both a traveling exhibition and a book. It aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of a region facing a major humanitarian catastrophe by offering atypical images of Iraq. Instead of the pictures of war, violence, militias and refugee camps seized upon by the media, Over My Eyes shows the the beauty of the land, moments of joy and fatigue, family archives, and more. As locals, the photographers – Aram Karim, Bnar Sardar, Seivan M. Salim, Hawre Khalid, Rawsht Twana, Twana Abdullah, Ali Arkady – have unprecedented access and knowledge of the area that brings viewers closer to their homeland and to the people whose lives go on in spite of the war.

The exhibition is composed of over 250 images, video installations, short documentaries, video interviews, written essays, maps, info-graphics and a physical archive containing original prints. Having just been shown at DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague for the first time, the exhibition’s next stop is at the Jakopic Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The book, with an introduction by Fred Ritchin, is available for purchase.

Over My Eyes is produced by DARST, a nomadic art studio for documentary projects led by Stefano Carini and Dario Bosio.

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