Nairy Shahinian

From Armenian background, I was born in Damascus, Syria in 1984.

My late father was one of the best professional photographers in the region and his profession and photographic equipment fascinated me since I was a child. 

In 2002, I joined him to work at his studio, which was the most important advertising photography studio & photo laboratory in Damascus, Syria. Throughout the years, I gained a lot of experience working by his side; especially when assisting him in his projects, among them; photographing the private collection of the National Museum of Damascus, Syria in 2008, as well as archiving Syria through photoshooting all its cities and landmarks, which was one of the most important projects that he worked on throughout his life.

Along with working at my father’s photography lab, I took drawing lessons at the artist Adnan Abdulrahman’s atelier, and in 2005 I started studying photography by correspondence at the New York Institute of Photography, where I received my Professional Photography Diploma in 2008.

The same year, I got the chance to travel to Dubai and work as an Assistant Photographer for well known photographers in the city such as Phil Baber and Tommy Morris.

After returning to Damascus, I started...

New York Institute of Photography, New York, U.S.A.

- Participation at Imago Mundi's 'Syria Off Frame' exhibition in Venice, Italy 2015 (exhibition continues till the 1st of November 2015).

- Ecstatic Moments solo exhibition at Ayyam Projects space in Beirut, Lebanon 2015.

- Part of Windows series was exhibited in a collective exhibition for international artists at HAUPT - Ort für Gestaltung in Basel, Switzerland 2015.

- Couple of works from Alienation series was showcased at World Art Dubai fair in its first edition in Dubai, U.A.E. 2015.

- Selected works from Alienation series was part of Going South exhibition at Instituto de Estudios Portuarios in Málaga, Spain 2015.

- Selected works from Alienation series were exhibited in a collective exhibition at Art Sawa Gallery - Al Qouz in Dubai, U.A.E. 2015.

- Selected works from Ecstatic Moments project was part of a collective exhibition at The Creative Art Center at MTC in New York, U.S.A. 2015.

- Selected works from Alienation series was part of a collective exhibition at The Framers Gallery in London, U.K. 2014.

- Selected works from Alienation series was part of a collective exhibition at Galerie Oberkampf in Paris, France 2014.

- Part of Alienation series was exhibited in a collective exhibition for in...