U.S. Exhibit of Kurdish Photographer: Nashville, Congress, KRG Representation
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – Younes Mohammed is an award-winning Kurdish photographer, originally from Dohuk, but now based in Erbil, and an exhibit of his work is being shown in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Washington D.C.
A glimpse of @younesagha’s photo exhibition at the Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse, June 22-23. The exhibition and photographer will be in DC next week.
— Bayan Sami Rahman (@BayanRahman) June 23, 2023
@kurdishpros @Justice_4_Kurds @SpiritAmerica @KRG_USA https://t.co/0r3ZpWsF6b
On Thursday and Friday, the exhibit is on display in the mezzanine of the Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse. On Wednesday, it moves to Washington, where it will be shown in the U.S. Congress—in the first floor foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building. On Thursday, it will be on exhibit at the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representation in Washington.
As his website explains, he was born in Dohuk in 1968. He had a “life-long passion for photography,” but could not pursue that passion, because of the multiple conflicts besieging the region.
His family left the Kurdistan Region in 1974 when he was a child for Iran, where he remained until 1998. While in Iran, he studied at Tehran University, from which he received an MBA.
But as photography was his passion, that is what he ultimately pursued, and he has won awards internationally in France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Russia, the U.K., and the U.S.
The U.S. exhibit of his photography is entitled, “Kurdistan to America: Stories of Hope and Sacrifice.”
“Through his lens, he documents the timeless struggle to preserve freedom and the human toll that it demands,” the flier announcing the exhibit explains.
He has “a boundless passion for cultures, customs, and traditions” and “astutely captures the daily lives of ordinary people with vivid images that tell stories of love, sacrifice, courage and friendship,” it continues, concluding, “Through the full range of Younes’ powerful imagery, we witness the rise of Kurdistan.”
For those who cannot make it in person to see the exhibit, there are albums of his photographs posted to his website: younesmohammad.com.
Proud to partner with @SpiritAmerica, @Justice_4_Kurds and @kurdishpros in hosting an exhibition of award-winning photographer @younesagha’s work in #Nashville, at the US Congress and at the @KRG_USA Representation. Entry is free and the photos exceptional. See flyer for details pic.twitter.com/RwO9bBVNw8
— Bayan Sami Rahman (@BayanRahman) June 22, 2023
Several organizations are sponsoring this event. They include Spirit of America, a Washington-area non-profit, which works “alongside troops and diplomats to help them save and improve lives, promote values shared by Americans and our allies,” and “demonstrate that the United States is a friend of those who seek a better life,” as its website states.
In advertising the exhibit, it describes the photographer as “a long time friend of Spirit of America.”
The exhibit is also supported by Kurdish Professionals, a Nashville-based non-profit organization, as well as Justice for Kurds, and the KRG Representation in Washington.