Bnar Sardar

I was born in Kurdistan, I was forced to flee to Iran with my family when I was seven years old in 1991. Photography was an early passion for me, and as a refugee, I noticed that only male photographers were documenting the conflict in my war-torn country. In 2009, I began working with Metrogarphy agency, the first Iraqi agency for photography.

Currently, I live and work in Bristol, England and am a freelance photographer for National Media League. I have had group exhibitions in various countries. Recently the UNHDR has selected me as the Middle-East photojournalist with the exhibition in (Venice), Italy.

Having been a refugee twice, let me think and I can say ‚ÄúWe are in the middle of a humanitarian crisis in my country, and I want to make efforts to help deliver this message to the world. I am driven to connect with people, especially women and children. I listen to their stories and do my best to document them with dignity. When I photograph people in need, it helps to tell them that I am a refugee myself. This added perspective puts us on the same level “I know, they know, I understand.”