“Open Wounds” reckons with the trauma of war for Kurdish fighters, their families, and the artist

Younes Mohammad is a photographer based in Erbil, Iraq, whose series Open Wounds reckons with the trauma of war for Kurdish fighters in Iraq. When he returned from translating and photographing the conflict against ISIL, Younes discovered he had PTSD and the lives of his Kurdish community were likewise forever altered. His new series documents wounded fighters and their families in their homes. The survivors are deliberately photographed in front of black fabric voids in order to force a reckoning with the human cost of conflict. Though not entirely about pain, Mohammad also photographs these fighters’ families in order to remind us of the necessity for peace. 

As someone who spent most of his life as a refugee, I can say my life began from the moment I started photography and before that I was just trying to live. While I always wanted to become a photographer, the war prevented me from pursuing it until around 2012, when I quit my job. Now, I photograph and speak through this medium with the world.

Hi Younes, thank you for joining us today. You wanted to pursue photography but the war in Iraq prohibited this pursuit. What was that period like for you? 

In fact, I was more interested in people’s stories. As I was beginning to learn how to use a camera, war came to our land and that became the predominant story of everyone’s life. I began covering the war, knowing I was living through history and had to do my best to understand what was happening and show others. It was a situation I was not prepared for and every day I found myself in the middle of fire and pain. 

Ultimately, I wanted to pursue photography to tell a longterm story about war, how much I hate it, and how much I long for peace. 

You worked as a translator during the conflict with ISIS. Do you see photography acting in the same way at all—as an act of translation—albeit visual? 

First, when I started to translate for other journalists, I was not able to speak English very well. I worked hard and very soon I became more comfortable with the language and translated in the best way possible. I do not have an academic photography background, but I followed my own vision with my own understanding, of the medium, in order to talk about painful things. 

Can you tell us how you began your current fine art photography practice?  

I tried to cover the war with daily photographs. This was mostly for agencies and news media but the impact of such photographs was easily upended by news cycles. When I realized this, I tried combining documentation with a fine art approach. Both aspects are important to me: documenting reality in an artistic way. 

Showing the truth simply and in a clean frame was always my first step. I always want to respect the audience and their points of view and not push anyone into seeing and accepting my own approach. One has to feel free inside the frame.

Tell us Younes about your inspirations or influences?

I am influenced by my life: the impact of war and being a refugee for years. Any step of my life now is like a mirror of my past. I have always wished for and dreamt of worldwide peace. This is my first guide. Alongside this are other people’s stories, many of which are similar to my own.

For you, what makes a an image feel “ just right”?

I care about light and composition and color but not as much as I care for pure, human sense. 

A good Image for me is one in which I am able to capture the purity and raw essence of what it means and feels to be human. In fact I call my work sensegraphy for this reason and don’t view it as just photography. 

Open Wounds, portrays wounded Kurdish fighters and their families. What do you hope we learn from their stories? 

Simply, I want to show that people, life and peace are beautiful, unfortunately, there is a shadow that lingers over such beauty. We must stop war everywhere and let beauty dance freely. We have to accept each other as we are. I want to show this old, beautiful nation which wars have overshadowed and caused pain for centuries. We have to venerate their beauty and allow them to breathe. 

How do you balance art and pain in your work? Can they be balanced? 

I am always trying to use artistic elements indirectly and express pain in a more straightforward way. I believe we understand art with our knowledge and with our eyes we understand pain. Finding the right balance is important, as sending the right message is key. I respect people and my work likewise has to respect them and their sensitivity, and yet I am also expressing a painful message. As much as we care about the balance between art and human sensitivity, our work as artists should live and linger in people’s minds. 

Your work isn’t only about war photography, though. Whether you’re documenting the pandemic lockdown or daily life in Iraqi Kurdistan, what subjects are you most drawn to and why? 

There are a lot of subjects anyone can work with, but for me, my work is about things that affect a lot of people or entire communities. I prefer to work with subjects that are all around us but have been forgotten about or demand attention. The work needs to be bold like the situations that occur after war and the ways war impacts people’s future.

 What do you hope viewers experience with your work? 

Photography is the medium I use to improve my understanding about myself and others. It allows me to navigate difficult situations and I can only hope that viewers share that kind of human understanding, not only from their own perspective but with compassion and empathy for others. Art can and must be used for us to be better and act better, and I hope my work will grab the attention of others to do so.

Website: www.younesmohammad.com  

Instagram: @younesagha