When Jehad Nga and I arrived in the Central African Republic, a few months ago, the bloody sectarian conflict between the Christian majority and the country’s Muslims had abated, but there was still an atmosphere of violence
In this series, Jehad Nga technically applies to images the same treatment that Gaddafi inflicted on his people
Following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime last year, photographer Jehad Nga set out to explore the former dictator’s political and military philosophies within the framework of an underlying and contrasting Libyan culture. Here, Nga he writes for LightBox about his project, The Green Book, which depicts the conflicting values of reality through gathered images broken down into binary code.
The personal conflict I felt during this time brought me to a point where my relation to breaking news played less an immediate role in my work than trying to restore my connection during a period when so much was unclear and surreal. Memories near and far rushed forward and I felt I needed to step back before the whole thing engulfed me.
Link: ::: The Travel Photographer :::: Jehad Nga: TurkanaI’ve described Jehad Nga as being a master of chiaroscuro and his new work Turkana just reaffirms and even compounds this well-deserved appellation. His new work is just beautiful and details of each photograph must be slowly absorbed. In Jehad’s photography, I guess less is more…and his play of light against the colorful garments is just exquisite.
Link: PDNPulse: Former VII Director Signs Prominent Photogs to New Management CompanyThe artists Institute represents are Jodi Bieber, Rena Effendi, Lauren Greenfield, Rob Hornstra, Nadav Kander, Gillian Laub, James Longley, Gerd Ludwig, Joshua Lutz, Amanda Micheli, Richard Mosse, Zed Nelson, Jehad Nga, Simon Norfolk, James Pomerantz and Paul Shambroom.
From State of the Art: A Different View on Iraq by Jehad Nga:
The New York Times website has some photographs that deserve to be seen. The pictures were made by a young photographer named Jehad Nga (“Inga”), who was one of American Photo’s Emerging Artists in 2007.
One of the most striking new bodies of work I’ve seen recently is a series of photographs made by the 30 year old photojournalist Jehad Nga. Taken in a Somalian café and lit only by a single shaft on sunlight, the images illuminate their subjects in the clandestine manner of Walker Evans’ subway pictures or Harry Callahan’s “Women Lost in Thought”. Nga was born in Kansas, but moved soon after, first to Libya and then to London. In his early 20s he was living in Los Angeles and taking courses at UCLA, when he came across the book “Digital Diaries” by Natasha Merritt. The book, a collection of sexually intimate photos made with a digital point-and-shoot, convinced Nga that he could become a photographer. One year later he was traveling through the Middle East taking pictures.
Check it out here.
