Der Giref — Amin Yousefi

Amin Yousefi born in 1996 in Abadan, Iran, is a London-based writer, researcher, and image-based artist. He holds a Master’s degree in Documentary Photography from the University of Westminster. A native of Abadan in the province of Khuzestan, Iran's most oil-rich region, and the scene of a bloody war with neighbouring Iraq, Yousefi's work examines the event of photography through the socio-political aspect of the medium. His primary concern lies in the implications of the archive, exploring violence in the Middle East enacted and how the act of photography can conceptually mirror the structures of these relationships.
Yousefi's work has been featured in several exhibitions and awards, including being named a 2024 Foam Talent Award winner. His project "Eyes Dazzle as They Search for the Truth" was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Carte Blanche Awards at Paris Photo and was later exhibited with Ag Galerie at the 2023 Unseen Art Fair in Amsterdam. His work has also been showcased at the 2024 Belfast Photo Festival, the 2024 Athens Photo Festival, and the 2024 Kranj Photo Festival. Additionally, Yousefi participated in the 2024 Circulation(s) festival at Centquatre-Paris and the 2024 Back to the Future exhibition at Peckham 24.

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Der Greif #16, Common Love

"We all grapple with grief and trauma, both on an individual and collective level. But with this common ground, we feel less alone. This is human nature: we see and feel that others experience similar struggles, therefore, we feel bonded and hopeful. That is why we create art and culture to reach beyond our differences. The most powerful works, in my opinion, are those which connect people and evoke shared emotions without explanation.”
“Shirin Neshat”

Der Greif and Shirin Neshat put out an open call inspired by the line “I am a common pain, scream me“ from Ahmad Shamlou‘s poem “Common Love,” printed on the inner cover of this issue. 1.500 artists and photographers from all over the world responded to this theme. The result is a poetic and multifaceted visual narration through 86 images on 100 sensitively layouted pages.

Order Der Greif #16, Curated by Shirin Neshat