Pooya Nabei: An Old Reverie
IN A SPEECH given to commemorate the opening of An Old Reverie, photography exhibition fashion photographer Pooya Nabei recalled a proverb from his home country of Iran; “The partridge that tried to learn how to walk like a crow forgot its own way of walking as well.”
An Old Reverie is a portrait series by Pooya Nabei produced during his artist residency at Langara College, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Langara College Photography Residency is a special program designed for experienced photographers looking to develop a personal portfolio project centred on social advocacy or broader humanitarian themes.
Pooya is the second photographer in residence for the college, and his work there included mentoring students, studio work at the school, an exhibition, and a public lecture to share his experiences.
When he came to Canada 25 years ago, Pooya tried to suppress his cultural background by listening to rap music and choosing English over Farsi when speaking with co-workers. He assimilated as best he could, and in turn was “like the bird in the proverb.” Pooya’s suppression of his own cultural identity influenced his 20-year photography career, which led him on a downward spiral of feeling like he was failing.
“I didn’t want to accept my roots,” Pooya said, “and as a photographer, if you don’t accept yourself for who you are, your path, you naturally dislike your own images and vision. On top of it, as a photographer, professional rejection often felt like personal rejection. Getting rejected became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I felt I was failing in my business and personal life.”
Working through that impersonal framework, Pooya applied to the Langara College Photographer in Residence program, an initiative that supports professional photographers as mentors for students while developing their own major project.
“It was the second time I applied for this residency,” Pooya said in his speech. “The first time, I proposed commercial concepts that had nothing to do with me as an artist, they were just ideas for building a new portfolio, which naturally led to rejection. The second time, I really tried to connect with myself and develop my authentic voice.”
Pooya says An Old Reverie was inspired by the work of Nadav Kander and Abelardo Morell. For his project, he found participants from a range of different countries through the college, casting calls on social media, and via personal referrals. Before each photo shoot, Pooya interviewed each person to understand their unique immigration story. People shared personal photos from their home country, which he projected upside down onto them, creating an effect that feels like peering into one’s memory of a place as they ruminate on the past.
“My core idea was that no matter how long you stay in a country, it’s hard to call it home.
There are things you always miss from where you grew up. I wanted to show that in pictures, to capture the items, experiences, and emotions that people miss from their home countries.”
Pooya asked his project participants what the images they provided meant to them, noting that while they were all nostalgic moments, the definition of home was different for everyone. Some selected photos of locations like a beach or a park they would study in. Some shared photos of their parents, their friends, or loved ones.
Annie from Ukraine was photo-graphed surrounded by dozens of photos of friends while she is alone in the frame apart from the teddy bear she’s holding. She sits in a dark room only lit by the projection of a park overtop of her as she stares out of frame, it’s a lonely scene lit by her memories.
A couple from Ukraine shared a photo of an apartment block in their hometown. When projected over the couple as they hold each other in bed, the viewer feels as if they’re getting a glimpse into the couple’s history and memory of a place and a past life.
Stephanie from Brazil’s story particularly stuck out to Pooya. She had been working multiple jobs when her mother broke her leg: “She had this tremendous guilt of not being able to look after her mom.” Pooya said that the story reminded him of his own mother and the guilt of not doing enough for her after all the sacrifices she made for him. “I teared up,” Pooya said. “Luckily, she didn’t notice with all the lights pointed at her at the time.”
Each portrait in the series is accompanied by a video interview. By not providing translations for English audiences, Pooya looks to demonstrate the experience of language barriers one partakes in when immigrating.
Pooya notes that most people are proud of where they come from, and feels that Canada is a country that warmly embraces immigrants. He says, “I hope by raising awareness about the hardship of immigration, others will be more compassionate and understanding of the emotional side of the process.”
Pooya describes the process of immigration as a brutal roller coaster, but hopes that his photos can help people understand each other a little bit more. He says, “These photographs capture immigration not merely as geographic transition but as profound personal metamorphosis.”
For Pooya, the Photographer in Residence program was an opportunity to “reach deeper,” noting it was one of the best experiences of his life. “To access all these tools and create something unique and personal that really resonates with viewers, that’s always difficult,” Pooya said.
Pooya considers himself more of a craftsman than an artist, meaning that while he can create incredible visuals through photography, he’s always had trouble in making things that truly resonate with him.
“Often when we are busy with work and the day-to-day grind, we forget to look inside to see what we’re really trying to achieve,” says Pooya, adding that having a space to work on creative projects was important for developing his voice.
Pooya’s project with the Langara photography department culminated in an exhibition of 11 final images, and video interviews. The participants were all invited to attend and those that made it out for the event were deeply moved by the presentation.
It is the hope of the college and the photography department that they can create an ongoing relationship with the residency alumni, and that photographers like Pooya become valued ambassadors for this professional program and the community at large.
Watch the video interviews from this project here: vimeo.com/pooyanabei
Find out more langara.ca/photo
Follow on Instagram @LangaraPhoto
This story featured in our Home vs Away issue.
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