Hooyo
Rami Hara
The images in this story come from a deeply personal place. As he grew up in a Somali household, he was raised Muslim in Europe. Growing in an environment that increasingly became hostile to his faith, he struggled to reconcile both realities. As his religion was incessantly vilified by the mainstream media, it influenced the perception of Muslims all throughout Europe. As violence against the Muslim communities grew, France brought to law a ban against the wearing of the burqa. This became a true turning point for Rami, who decided to take matters in his own hands by re-introducing an image that had been perverted by the media. His mother became his Muse and source of inspiration; prompting him to create a series of portraits that subvert the media’s image of the black veiled woman. This is done by showing the different sides and layers of the women underneath the Burqa. To shape his images, he worked with a variety of traditional Somali fabrics to balance the “elegant yet quirky nature” of his mother, while still minding the sensitivity of this social matter.
Rami’s work is visually striking. The objects of his portraits are statuesque, almost sculptural and hold a quiet dignity, these aforementioned fabrics (the Veil, the Durag) are elevated from their utilitarian role into markers of adornment. A hijab becomes a royal veil, a durag transforms into the crown of a young, anonymous king, A portrait becomes a painting.
His use of colour elevate the text in a variety of ways. His work brings a dynamic element of emphasis, playing on the themes of alienation, anonymity and the question of belonging. the pops of vivid colours bring a sensation of playfulness, while some images use the richness of deep blues, purples and gold tones that bring forth a sense of mystery, a world where the viewer is not entirely welcomed but granted a glimpse of what the (un)veiling allows. He presents his family, his source of inspiration with deference, honouring them in portraits that beam with a sense of pride. The questions of stigmatisation and alienation starts in ‘Hooyo’, and re-occurs in his ongoing series « Durag », taking a step back in Indaha qurbaha, (In the eyes of the diaspora) by showing his subjects up close and personal as well as in their contextual spaces respectively.
Project Ciidna
Project Ciidna, which translates to Project No One, is an ongoing project documenting Rami’s cultural heritage as a a young black man from Somali descent. Through-out his work, he examines the images that the media portrays and reports on, images of people that share his background, his faith, his culture. He has personally experienced the consequences of such “blatant and harmful representation” not only in his personal life, but in the lives of his family and friends. These stereotypes and biases stretch out around the world and the repercussions are felt by many. As the media narrative seeped into the population, He experienced “A variety of negative portrayals and harsh words of disdain towards the African Diaspora”. This included coming into contact with “all manners of racism and discrimination”. As a response to the restrictions and limitations that he experienced due to his mere person, Rami created a body of work in Ciidna that captures and emphasizes the beauty hidden in his culture, as well as the often unseen elegance of his heritage. Through this work, he challenges the negative and harmful depictions of the African Diaspora, showing the future generation that “We are much more than the narratives forced upon us.”
Durag
In Durag, another seemingly innocent piece of fabric that has been vilified is addressed. Worn by both African Americans and those belonging tot he African Diaspora, the Durag is worn to protect one’s hair, mostly worn by Black males. Unfortunately, the image of a Black man wearing a Durag has been associated with gang members and violence, implying the wearer is a thug. It is certainly not portrayed as the matter of (self) care it actually is.
In this series, the Durag elevated to a status of adornment, in contrast to the sinister interpretation that link them to violence and associates them with a dark sentiment, something to fear.
The irony lying in the fact that a durag is worn to protect one’s hair, he seeks to rectify the existing imagery surrounding Black men and their attire.
He hopes to continue this project in the future, extending these topics applied to the intersectionality of African-American culture and that of the African Diaspora.