Single - FotoSlovo 2026 - Category « Photomontage and AI »

My early life as a Kurdish girl in Iran was shaped by forces far larger than myself, by the politics of the country where my language, history, songs and identity were suppressed. My father was a member of a banned Kurdish political party and was forced into exile, as were thousands of other political activists. The Iranian regime confiscated our home and our belongings. My mother was left to raise four children alone, under constant threat from the regime. I only saw my father in secret during our summer holidays. I grew up with absence and fear embedded in daily life, and with the knowledge that my identity was not permitted to have a voice. I was nine when we fled Iran and were granted political asylum in Sweden.

In The Fallen Leaves are Dancing I explore what was taken away: silenced family histories and an imagined homeland, embodied and carried through light and fleeting moments. My seven-year-old son acts like a mirror. Using pictures from the family archive, as well as photos and paintings, I depict the forgotten narratives shaped by trauma, ongoing resistance, and the search for belonging.

It often starts with a photograph I have taken, sometimes combined with images from my family archive (these are the only personal belongings I have from my early childhood). Over time, these photographs find their place within an artwork , which is often a combination of images and mixed media (image transfers and physically made photomontage). Most of these artworks were created recently in response to the atrocities committed by the Iranian regime. They are an attempt to process the overwhelming emotions of grief, despair, anger, hope for change, and longing to return to my birthplace.

No AI is used!