Behind The Lens ..
 

Each click of the shutter becomes a dialogue between my perception and the world around me, the world that i haven’t had hands in making it, now i have the chance to recreate it through my lens, the way i want. The act of capturing a moment is not merely about preserving its visual essence, it is about the photographer’s perspective and the way he sees the world. For me, photography serves as both an escape from reality and a bridge toward a nuanced understanding of existence. Through my lens, I embark on a quest to reshape the world, reframing experiences in ways that reality seldom. I am Gaylan Nazhad, a British Kurdish photographer and documentary filmmaker based in Nottingham. I was born in South Kurdistan, my childhood dream of becoming a pianist was seemingly unattainable because of poverty, war and genocide. However, the tones of the piano have had been constantly alive in my head until I discovered that art transcends the limitations we face. Though I may not have had access to pianos, I realised that my artistic journey was not confined to one instrument. Instead, it took me on a path of self-discovery and allowed me to find new ways to express myself. Soon after earning Master Degree in 2010 from Royal Holloway University of London, I devoted nine years to lecturing at various universities across the Middle East and China. Since 1989, I have been active in the arts as photographer and producer in nine films and twelve theatre shows internationally, including dramatisations of Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Mother Courage’ and Eugène Ionesco’s ‘La Jeune Fille à Marier’. Now, every day I take my camera and step outside to put my fingers on the black-and-white piano keyboard that I never had the chance to create to tones when i was child! I capture photographs in the streets around the world, contemplating the ambiguity of each moment. I document the forgotten corners and observe the exhausted, tired faces around me. I love the dancing and savour the harmony between light and shadows on the walls. The patterns that trees cast surround me in the streets. I engage with people, listen to their stories, and appreciate their curious gazes. I travel more and more to explore the streets where people experience their lives on a daily basis.

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Exhibitions & Screenings

2009 | London National Portrait Gallery

2009 | London Watermans Cinema

2011 | Liverpool Fact Cenima

2011 | Manchester Fact Cenima

2009 | Nottingham Broadway Cinema

2010 | Nottingham Broadway Cinema

2011 | Nottingham Broadway Cinema

2015 | Sheffield Documentary Festival

2010 | London Urban Arts Showcase

2012 | Northampton Nanoplex.

2012 | Leicester's Orton

2009 | Nottingham New Arts Exchange

2011 | Nottingham New Arts Exchange

2010 | University of Nottingham

2011 | University of Nottingham

2018 | Nottingham New Arts Exchange

2019 | Nottingham City Arts

2010 | Nottingham New Arts Exchange

2020 | Leicester's Y Theatre

2017 | University of Sulaimani

2016 | Sulaimany Polytechnic University

2015 | Sulaimany Polytechnic University

2014 | Nottingham Central Library

2005 | Nottingham Central Library

2015 | Library of Birmingham

 

Press

2019 | BBC Radio. Talking with presenter Alan Clifford about "101 Beads, Kurdistan in War" Book.

2018 | BBC TV - East Midlands. Interview to talk about "101 Beads, Kurdistan in War" Book.

2018 | Nott TV. Interview to talk about "101 Beads, Kurdistan in War" Book.

2017 | Kurdsat TV. War photography & its impact on Isis war in Iraq and Syria. 

2018 | Left Lions Magazine. Photojournalism & Portrait in "101 Beads, Kurdistan in War" Book.