Photography is my medium of expression. It is my mindfulness practice. It is my peace. Through photography, I have found my voice. I utilize the many techniques that I have acquired to create art and visual paintings through the lens of my camera. Photography is my vehicle in communicating my vision of the world around me. 

-A.

In the 19th century, the advent of photography liberated painters from the pursuit of realism, ushering in an era of abstraction and exploration. Today, we stand at a similar crossroads—where photography no longer serves only as a tool for documentation but as a limitless medium for creation, illusion, and storytelling.

I grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, the child of two Iraqi immigrants who arrived during a time of turbulent foreign affairs. In our home, philosophy, introspection, design, and art were woven into daily life. My mother, an architect, and my father, a painter, filled our world with vivid colors, bold structures, and deeply rooted values. Yet, growing up between cultures, navigating an unfamiliar world, I often felt an unshakable desire to connect—to bridge the internal with the external, the seen with the felt.

In 2019, I picked up a camera, and in that instant, I discovered my medium. Photography became my tool not just for capturing reality, but for creating entire worlds. It is my form of self-expression, exploration, and connection. The creative process has become a meditative practice, allowing me to unearth new dimensions within myself and the world around me.

Through surrealist imagery, I invite the viewer into the delicate space between illusion and reality—a realm where perception shifts, the known dissolves, and something deeper is revealed.

for booking or collaborations email @ [vmnv.photo@gmail.com]