Thana Faroq is an award-winning Yemeni photographer, writer, and educator currently based in the Netherlands. She works with photography, texts, and moving images to explore the changes that have shaped her life and sense of belonging, both in Yemen and in the Netherlands.
Thana's approach to photography is grounded in her deep reflections on her subject matter, allowing her to tune in to the lived experiences of her subjects and continually grow familiar with their stories.She also increasingly seeks her own story in the frame.
Her work mirrors her life and provides a visual echo of her voice as she gracefully negotiates themes of memory, and intergenerational trauma. Thana has a unique approach to working with her subjects in that she regularly returns to them to continue sharing their journey. Many of these migrant, stateless individuals were with Thana during her transitional period.
Besides working on independent projects and commissions, Thana currently teaches at the Royal Academy of Arts in the Hague (KABK)
Email: thana.faroq@gmail.com
+31 633474457
Education
Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague (KABK) the Netherlands
MA Photography & Society 2019-2021
University of Westminster, London UK
MA Documentary Photography and Photojournalism 2016-2017
Clark University, Worcester US
BA in Government and International Relations 2009-2013
Awards
British Journal of photography Once to Watch (2020)
National Geographic Society —grant recipient (2019)
Zenith Magazine- reporting grant recipient (2019)
The Arab Documentary Fund , grant recipient(2019) supported by the Prince Claus fund and Magnum Foundation
Open Society Foundations, fellowship grant and exhibition recipient (2018)
World Press Joop Swart Masterclass — Nominee (2019)
Publication
2020, I don't Recognize Me in the Shadows , 168-page soft cover book (photography & text) published by Lecturis, the Netherlands
Book Reviews
2021, Conscientious Photography Magazine, Jörg M. Colberg
2021, PhotoBook Journal, Gerhard Clausing
2021, Collector Daily, Olga Yatskevich
Other Publications
Foam, National Geographic, NY times lens, Marie Claire Italy, NPR, World Press Photo, The Huffington post, Aljazeera, BBC, CNN Arabic, Vocative magazine, Gueurnica magazine, Muftah magazine, Alsafir Alarabi magazine, Oxfam international photo Blog, CARE international photo blog, Steep Feed Magazine, UN women, Zenith Magazine
Selected shows
Displacements. Yemen Diasporas, PhotoEspaña festival, Madrid, Cordoba- Group (2020-2021)
Parts Unknown, Artist, Interactive digital performance & website-Group, Amsterdam, NL (2020)
I don't recognize me in the shadows, Pulchri Studio, The Hague Netherlands Solo-(2020)
On Echoes of Invisible Hearts: Image Making and Popular Archiving in Times of Unrest', Station Beirut Lebanon- Group (2019)
Moving walls 25: Another way Home, Open Society Foundations, NY, US - Group(2019)
Women in Yemen, Beyond Borders festivals, Edinburgh UK- Group (2019)
LUMIX Festival for Young Photojournalism, Hannover, Germany-Group (2018)
Armenia Art Fair, Yerevan, Armenia-Group (2018)
Perpetual Movement, Arab Women Artists Now-Festival, Rich Mix, London, UK-Group (2017)
Sehnsucht, Sehnsucht Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands-Group (2017)
Public Speaking
2021 Speaker Storytelling for Change Summit| Photographers Without Borders
2019 Speaker The Things They Carry: Photography and Post-migration Trauma-Humanity House The Hague Netherlands
2019 Panelist/speaker Yemeni Youth Cultural Diaspora Forum in Doha, Qatar
2019 Speaker, the International Dialogue on Migration Geneva
2019 Speaker, Women and War in Yemen, The Hague Talks, Netherlands
2018 Speaker, The Road to Integration through Higher Education, Utrecht University’s Incluusion
2017 Panelist/speaker, the launch of the 2017 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan United Nations Off ice
2017 Speaker, women like us: The Power of untold stories in Yemen, University of Edinburgh,
2015 Speaker, The Power of Untold Stories, World Forum Theater, for the IB Global conference The Hague Netherlands
2013 Speaker at TEDxSana'a 2013, The Magic of Street Photography, Sana’a Yemen
Teaching Experiences| Mentoring|Panel selection
2021 Mentor, Cultural Networks Yemen, Goethe-Institut Jordan
2021 Jury member, The Jacob Hartog Prize, Pulchri studio The Hague,the Netherlands
2021 Jury member, “Yemen 2021: Hope for the Future,” the Netherlands Embassy
2021 Photographic Creative Lead Artist for Accenture ID Festival
2020 Mentor, BA photography students, KABK, The Hague (NL)
2020 Workshop Presenter and facilitator on visual storytelling, refugee center Utrecht Joseph Haydnlaan
2017 Workshop Presenter and facilitator on visual storytelling, University of Edinburgh, UK
2016 Workshop Presenter and facilitator, I spy with my little eyes project, the British Council, Sana’a Yemen: The Project engaged up to 15 children in exploring the difficulties living the war in Yemen and provided an insight into their suffering through their own vision.