Refractions: Tasweer Project Awards

Presenting: Ali Haj Suleiman (Syria), 'Sports and Fun in War'.

Ali Haj Suleiman is a photojournalist living in Idlib in Northwest Syria, he is 24 years old, he has over 10 years of photography experience, he covers social, military events and the humanitarian situation collaborating with numerus NGOs, rights organizations, local and international media outlets, his work was recognized and exhibited internationally, and his passion remains to develop professionally and provide the best content that Syria deserves.

He started holding the camera since he was 14 because he had to drop school and help his mother to make a living for or family of six after his father got forcibly disappeared by the Syrian regime in the third year of war. He grow up in Damascus suburb, but when he was 13, he moved back with his mother and siblings to their hometown in the southern countryside of Idlib, in 2020 he was displaced along with hundreds of thousands of people as a result of the military advancement of regime forces and allies.

Now he lives in Idlib city, he is a freelance photojournalist, he struggle, along with more than five million people in northwest Syria, from the lack of safety, stability and siege in the last area controlled by the opposition factions in the country. His hope is one day he would be able to turn his camera to film happy events, where all people are safe and recovering from a past war, but unfortunately the war still rages on and Syrians are suffering from diaspora with the loss of their homes and loved ones.

Presenting: Amina Kadous (Egypt), 'White Gold'.

Amina Kadous (1991-) is a visual artist based in Cairo, Egypt. Her work revolves around concepts of memory and identity, Linking the past and present through the layers of time as they fold and unfold. The exploration of time serves, for her, as a means for understanding who she is as a person.

Her work has been exhibited locally and Internationally. She exhibited as part of the Photography Biennale of the contemporary Arab world at the Cite Des Arts in Paris in 2019. She participated at the 12th edition of the Bamako Biennale of Photography and being awarded the Centre Soleil d’Afrique Prize for her project, “A crack in the Memory of My Memory”. She received a grant from Magnum Foundation and Prince Claus foundation and was one of the top ten finalists for the Everyday projects grant for her current long-term series “ White Gold”. She was also awarded the Contemporary African photography Prize 2022 and Prix De La Photo Madame Figaro at Arles photography festival in 2022. She was nominated for the Prix Pictet award and Deutsche Börse prestigious Prize.

Presenting: Maeen Aleryani (Yemen), 'In My Eyes, Memories'.

Maeen Aleryani is a Yemeni photographer based in Sanaa. His work delves into personal stories and memory, transforming the unseen into compelling visual and textual narratives. Through his photography, he captures daily life in Yemen, shedding light on societal changes and the connection between people and their memories.

Aleryani’s projects have garnered several accolades, including the Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project Award, and his work has been featured in GQ Middle East.

Presenting: M'hammad Kilito (Morocco), 'Before It's Gone'.

M'hammed Kilito is a documentary photographer and a National Geographic Explorer residing in Rabat. He is represented internationally by VII Photo and Gowen Gallery. His artistic journey revolves around exploring the intricate connections and bonds that individuals and groups form with their environments - be it places of residence, memories, or transit points. Kilito's work is dedicated to capturing narratives that provide insight into this profound connection, delving into subjects like cultural identity, labour sociology, and the impacts of climate change.

Kilito holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Montreal and a Master's degree in Political Science from Ottawa University. His work has garnered awards and grants, including World Press Photo Foundation Prize, Louis Roederer Prize for Sustainability, National Geographic Society and Climate Pledge Grant, Contemporary African Photography Prize, Photography Prize of Fondation des Treilles, and Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project Award. He has also been a finalist for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award and nominated for Prix Pictet.

His work has been showcased in various festivals and venues worldwide, including the Leica Ernst Leitz Museum (Germany), Sharjah Art Foundation (UAE), 1:54 Art Fair (France), Tate Modern (UK), PhotoESPAÑA Festival (Spain), National Museum of Photography (Morocco), Addis Foto Fest (Ethiopia), Format Festival (UK), Bosnia and Herzegovina National Museum (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Photo Vogue Festival (Italy), and Misk Art Institute (Saudi Arabia). It has also been published in international media outlets such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The British Journal of Photography, Vogue Italia, de Volkskrant, L'Express, Liberation, and El Pais.

Together with three other Moroccan visual artists, Kilito co-founded KOZ, a collective dedicated to telling compelling stories through long-term projects.

Presenting: Mohammed Al Kouh (Kuwait), 'Documenting Failaka Island'.

Mohammed Alkouh is a Kuwaiti photographer and visual artist whose work explores the fragile nature of memory, history, and identity. Through photography, hand drawings, and archival materials, Alkouh weaves narratives that reflect the interplay between past and present. His work is deeply reflective, drawing from his personal experiences and living in rapidly His work is deeply reflective, drawing from his personal experiences and living in rapidly changing Kuwait, where the cultural landscape has been shaped by a tapestry of historical events and the complexities of regional dynamics. Alkouh’s art serves as a meditation on loss, sentimentality, and nostalgia, offering a reflection on the complexities of identity and the preservation of fading narratives.

Presenting: Mustafa Bilge Satkin (Turkey), 'Drowned History'.

Mustafa Bilge Satkın is an award-winning documentary photographer based in Istanbul. He holds a PhD from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and has exhibited his work globally. His projects, primarily focused on the Middle East, have been featured by Redux Pictures, and Getty Images. He has received prestigious awards including the 78th POY Environmental Vision Award, the Lucie Foundation "Photo Taken" Grant, Getty Images Editorial Grants, and Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project Award. A member of Diversify Photo and a volunteer photographer for the UNDP, Satkın's work addresses social injustice, climate change, and migration with the aim of creating a better world.

Presenting: Sara Benamar (Algeria), 'Sandcastles'.

Born in 1994, Sarah Ben Amar started practicing photography when her father gave her a compact camera at 17. She continued photographing throughout her studies in British and American literature and history. She also became interested in film during that period.

Her primary focus is on the relationship between the collective and the individual and how space shapes or mirrors that relationship. Ben Amar has been a resident in the 13th edition of ARTIFARITI (Western Sahara), as well as in the Derb Cinema documentary film residency (Tlemcen, Algeria). Her project Sandcastles (2019-2024) has been awarded the Tasweer Qatar’s 2023 Sheikh Al Thani Project Award and has been featured in several publications. In 2024, she became a mentee with Through The Lens Collective.

Presenting: Tamara Saade (Lebanon), 'Shedding Skin'.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Tamara Saade is a journalist and photographer currently based in Beirut. She mainly covers Lebanon's ever-changing political landscape, focusing on human rights, with a documentary approach, through photography, writing, and videography. Working with different photographic formats and artistic platforms, she uses the intersectionality of the medium and the message to highlight her stories. She recently started her own business, using her documentary eye to photograph weddings, parties, and editorial shoots. She exhibited photographs in the US, France, the UAE, Norway, and Lebanon.

Presenting: Adam Rouhana (Palestine), 'Before Freedom'.

Adam Rouhana (b. 1991, Boston, MA) is a Palestinian-American artist and photographer based between Jerusalem and London. Rouhana’s photography works to deconstruct Orientalism through his subjective lens within the broader context of Palestine. Through his investigations, he questions his positionality as a Palestinian behind the camera, both as Westerner, having grown up in America, and as Arab. Rouhana received his master’s from the University of Oxford.

Through the introduction of new narratives, Rouhana’s work embraces themes of the past to create a contemporary Palestinian visuality characterized by representations of Palestinian lives that embody an active ethic of self-determination. He is often inspired by scenes of his grandmother’s fruit orchard and domestic life from his early memories in Palestine. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Aperture, and Dazed.

Presenting: Imane Djamil (Morocco), ' Slow Days in the Fortunate Isle'.

Imane Djamil is a Moroccan storyteller and documentary photographer known for her photojournalistic projects that blend realism with a phantasmagoric touch. Her work often resembles docudramas, engaging viewers in deeply immersive narratives. Djamil's photography has been showcased at prestigious venues such as the Sharjah Biennale (2023), Bamako Biennale (2022), Landskrona Foto Festival in Sweden (2022), and the Middle East Institute in Washington DC (2022). Other exhibitions include Fondation CDG in Rabat (2021), Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden in Marrakech (2020), Casa Arabe in Madrid (2018), and Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (2014).

She has contributed to major publications like the New York Times, Le Monde, Libération, and Reuters. In 2020, Djamil co-founded the KOZ collective with photographers M’hammed Kilito, Seif Kousmate, and Yasmine Hatimi. Born in 1996, she is based between Casablanca and Tarfaya, where she co-owns Cantará, a cultural and educational program.

Presenting: Mahmoud Abu Hamda (Palestine), 'The Journey of Survival'.

Mahmoud Abu Hamda is a professional photographer from Gaza City, known for his focus on landscape, portraiture, and capturing the beauty of life. Starting his photography journey a decade ago with a small pocket camera, Mahmoud's passion for the art form has grown significantly, influencing his personal life and professional career. His work highlights the unique aspects of the Gaza Strip, offering a fresh perspective on one of the world's most intense locations. Mahmoud's distinctive visual style reflects his deep artistic sense, developed through self-teaching and an intrinsic love for photography. He has created impactful works for various local and international organizations and has conducted numerous training workshops to enhance photographic skills within his community.

Presenting: Ismail Zaidy (Morocco), 'The Family'.

Ismail Zaidy, also known as L4artiste, is a 26-year-old photographer from Marrakesh, Morocco. He earned a degree in International Management from Cadi Ayad University in 2018. Ismail began his photography journey in 2017, inspired by his surroundings and creative influences. He specializes in abstract and minimalist styles, using a Samsung S5 for his work. With a mixed heritage—his father from Marrakesh and his mother from Oud Zem—family plays a crucial role in his creative process.

In 2018, Ismail launched the project '3aila,' which means 'family' in English, involving his younger siblings, Othmane (18) and Fatima (15). Together, they brainstorm and support each other's creative efforts. Ismail captures his photos in a studio called Sa3ada ('joyful') on their apartment terrace, often using props sourced from flea markets. His work addresses themes of family dynamics, including communication challenges and distance between loved ones, highlighting the importance of family as a precious and cherished aspect of life.

Presenting: Mosab Abushama (Sudan), 'Tadween'.

Mosab Abushama, based in Sudan, is a street photographer passionate about documenting the lives of others and collecting their stories. This year, he embarked on a personal documentation project of his own life. However, when the war broke out, he found himself documenting a conflict whose origins and end remain unknown. What started as a hobby in photography evolved into various forms, but a pivotal shift occurred after connecting with fellow photographers and participating in local workshops like TOV. These experiences significantly influenced both his visual storytelling and the narratives behind his captured images. Living through war, he has witnessed every facet of its ugliness and beauty. His photography style has shifted, mirroring the impact of these experiences. Participating in Tasweer is a significant opportunity for him as a documentary photographer to convey stories through images that speak the truth and capture the profound changes unfolding in people's lives.

Presenting: Lina Geoushy (Egypt), 'Trailblazers'.

Lina Geoushy is an Egyptian visual artist and photographer, working across social documentary and portrait photography. She aims to tell stories that deconstruct and question the public's perception of the prevailing power of patriarchy. Her practice is research-led, and her projects are both self-initiated and commissioned. Her work largely explores social justice by focusing on gender socio-politics and women empowerment issues. Lina completed her MA in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication and graduated with distinction. She has been a recipient of numerous awards including the British Journal of Photography Female in Focus 2022. Lina was selected as one of the Foam Talents 2022, and she was awarded the Documentary Photographer of The Year 2019 by The Royal Photographic Society. Her work has been exhibited internationally, most notably at The Louis Roederer Discovery Award in Arles in 2023.

Presenting: Muhannad Hasan Kadhim Al Sudani (Iraq), 'The Marshlands'.

Muhannad Hassan Al-Sudani is a photographer and cinematographer from Iraq. He started his journey in photography at the age of 15. He practiced photography spontaneously. After graduating from university, he discovered his interest in photography in an artistic way. His passion took him to photograph the marshes, which represent the culture of the south and what it carries of the Sumerian civilization dating back to 3000-4000 BC. He focused his interest on photographing the lives of the indigenous inhabitants of the marshes and the important details of their livelihood.

Presenting: Tamara Abdul Hadi (Iraq), 'Euphrates'.

Presenting: Roï Saade (Lebanon), 'Euphrates'.

Tamara Abdul Hadi and Roi Saade are interdisciplinary artists whose work delves into the intersections of photography, graphic design, and cultural representation. Tamara, an Iraqi photographer, explores both historic and contemporary representations of her diverse cultural heritage. Her focus is on marginalized voices, the hidden aspects of Orientalist narratives, and the evolving social and environmental landscapes of the Middle East. Her experience as an educator spans Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, the UAE, Kuwait, Tunisia, and Canada. While her work has been widely published in mainstream media, she now prefers collaborating with independent entities. Abdul Hadi's debut monograph, Picture an Arab Man, was published in 2022 and her photographs have been exhibited globally.

Roi, an interdisciplinary artist, blends graphic design, photography, and the arts in his process based practice. His approach is rooted in collaborative efforts among artists, designers, and curators, complemented by thorough visual research and creative dialogue. Saade focuses on resisting systems of domination and inequality through his work, investigating collective memory and documenting both personal and community experiences. He designs and curates photography exhibitions, film festivals, and magazines, and specializes in book design, exploring the social and cultural meanings of images.

Together, Abdul Hadi and Saade navigate the complexities of visual culture, contributing to the dialogue on photographic representation and collective memory.

Presenting: Shadi Nael Al-Tabatiby (Palestine), 'Untitled'.

Shadi Nael Al-Tabatiby is a photographer born in Gaza, Palestine. He has been passionate about photography since childhood. He began his journey in 2014, focusing on capturing beauty, nature, and street life in Gaza until 2019, Shadi transitioned to drone photography, where he has excelled in capturing architectural, natural, and urban landscapes. His innovative work in drone photography has earned him recognition and awards from both local and international institutions. Shadi continues to push the boundaries of visual storytelling through his aerial perspective, offering unique insights into the world from above.

Presenting: Wafaa Samir (Egypt), 'Inherited'.

Wafaa Samir is a photographer and visual artist based in Cairo, Egypt. Her work explores two main themes: our relationship with the external environment—whether urban, social, environmental, or otherwise—and our relationship with our internal world of emotions and states of mind. She alternates her focus between these outer and inner realms to explore how each influences the other and how this interplay shapes us. Wafaa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo in 2013. She also studied in the Behna Independent Program for Visual Arts from 2021 to 2022. Her work has been showcased in many exhibitions in Egypt, Germany, Belgium, France, the UAE, the UK, and Spain.