“It’s important to hold onto and remember the past, but it’s so important to move forward… not to forget the past, but not to dwell on it” - Ed Kashi
To produce a body of photographic work that penetrates beyond the media’s touch, and truly impacts people’s lives and consciousness, is for me the ultimate goal in creating personal projects.
I was able to realize that ambition through my 30-yr project, When The Borders Bleed: The Struggle of the Kurds, which documents the Kurdish people and their struggle for survival and recognition.
I was recently in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, one of the two main cities of Iraqi Kurdistan, for a Kurdish Cultural Forum organized by the Kashkul Center for arts and culture at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani to talk about this work. In addition to participating in panels and being interviewed by the local broadcast network, I had what might be the largest exhibition of my career - more than 90 images were exhibited in a former tobacco factory. At my opening, I was overwhelmed by Kurds of all generations telling me they grew up with my images on their walls and had my book, When The Borders Bleed, in their bookshelves.
The experience was beyond humbling. It reminded me of what’s possible to achieve if you have the will, commitment and sincere desire to tell stories, go deep into the narratives and stay true to the facts as much as humanly possible.
To learn more about this project and the Kurdish struggle, you can watch the interview with RUDAW Network.