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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Kaamil Ahmed

From dentist to artist: how a Sudanese exile turned to photography as an outlet for trauma

Two men in white robes and blue conical masks stand on a sandy hill, while a woman wrapped in gold sits on the sand holding a blue cone full of paper flowers.
The Curse Of Gold represent the way gold has fuelled the rise of the RSF paramilitary, turning it into a source of Sudan's instability instead of prosperity. Photograph: Hashim Nasr

‘For me, red is always a representation of blood and losing people, so I tend to use this red fabric to represent our trauma.” The Sudanese photographer Hashim Nasr is talking about how the war in his homeland has influenced his work.

Before the start of the conflict in 2023, the figures in his photographs were often covered in flowers or holding heart shapes, challenging stereotypes of masculinity. Now, flowing red fabric representing trauma, loss and bloodshed is a frequent motif.

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