Book Launch Thana Faroq

How shall we greet the sun

Join us on Thursday 19 October as we host a special event to launch How shall we greet the sun, the newest publication of the Yemeni photographer Thana Faroq. The book explores the personal stories and complex lives and emotions of a small group of young female refugees living in the Netherlands, including the photographer herself.

Faroq offers a visual and textual exploration of how the identities of this generation of female migrants in the Netherlands are continuously built and reshaped by their current circumstances and the homes they have left behind.  

During the evening a few women who are featured in the book will read passages, as well as Thana Faroq herself, who will then talk about the creative process. Afterwards, photographer, teacher, curator and researcher Andrea Stultiens hosts a short panel discussion to offer insights and perspectives on the book’s themes. The event will finish with the presentation of an exclusive special edition print, which is featured in the project, and concluded with a book signing.

About the artist

Thana Faroq is a Yemeni photographer, writer and educator based in the Netherlands. She employs a divers range of media, including photography, text, sound, and moving images as a way to respond to the changes that have shaped her life and sense of belonging both in Yemen and the Netherlands.

Faroq’s approach to photography is deeply reflective, informed by her interactions with the subjects she captures. She continuously immerses herself in the lived experiences of others, often finding elements of her own story in the frame. Her work serves as a visual autobiography, resonating with themes of memory, migration, and intergenerational trauma.

Amongst her honors, Thana Faroq was a recipient of the 2018 inaugural Open Society Foundation Fellowship Grant and the 2019 Arab Documentary Fund supported by the Prince Claus Fund and Magnum Foundation. In 2020 She was selected by the British Journal of Photography as “Ones to watch". She was also the winner of the FotoWien photo book award 2021. Furthermore, she is currently teaching at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK).

How shall we greet the sun © Thana Faroq
Women wearing a red dress and a black hijab overlooks a grey Dutch sea

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Book Launch Thana Faroq

How shall we greet the sun