One Day Changes

An exhibition of photography by

Ako Ismail and Shaho Omar

Curated by Katy Brown

Content warning:

Please be aware that this exhibition deals with themes of war which some viewers may find upsetting.

"One day changes everything – your life, your friends, your school, your place, your food, […] everything changes without you choosing it", Ako Ismail, photojournalist.

This black and white photograph taken by Shaho Omar is titled Suicide Attack. It is the background to a quote from Ako which appears in white over the top. It shows the aftermath of a suicide track bomb that hit multiple Kurdish security buildings in Qamishli in Syria, injuring more than 100 people and killing 40. The image shows buildings standing in the background with the foreground showing lots of people on the ground as well as some vehicles. The picture is quite zoomed out so individual people are not identifiable and the scale of the buildings to the people can be seen.

Suicide Attack. Photo Credit: Shaho Omar

Suicide Attack. Photo Credit: Shaho Omar

Photographs are just one moment in the lives of the people in them. But all it can take is one moment, just one day, to change everything.

Taken by Iraqi photojournalists Ako Ismail and Shaho Omar, the photographs in this exhibition document those moments.

These images show the consequences of war and the realities of being a refugee. They also show hope and the search for a peaceful life.

Despite the risks to their own safety in doing so, Ako and Shaho took these photographs to show the world the reality of what is happening in Iraq.

Although we do not know the names of the people featured, we know that they are people. People who did not choose this; as Ako said, "no-one chooses to be a refugee".

In the curator's interview with him, Ako wanted to remind us all that 'we are all the same planet'; none of us are separate from this.

Originally part of a physical exhibition for Holocaust Memorial Day Events 2022, curated and supported by Skimstone Arts (One Day Changes | Skimstone Arts) this scrollable online exhibition allows you to explore how One Day Changes everything. These photographs are also all now a part of Durham University's contemporary art collection.

This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled The Kiss. It shows a man on the left who is kissing the side of a woman’s head. He has his left hand on her head as he does this, so that you can see he is wearing a ring on his ring finger, and a watch on his wrist. He is looking to the right of the image, over her head whereas she is looking directly at the camera lens. She is faintly smiling and has both a nose ring and a head covering on. This background photograph fades away as you scroll through the opening text.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The Kiss. This is very unusual for a man to show affection, but he is showing love in such difficult times, like. They may take everything... Except our love. Arbat Camp, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Regional 2013. Photo Credit: Ako Ismail.

The two photographers who worked on this project, Ako Ismail and Shaho Omar knew each other through social media but worked in different areas. Prior to this project, they had only met each other once.

One Day Changes came about as they realised that their photographs had a connection. They all had a similar message which was looking for hope and positivity amidst the life-changing events that they experienced.

Both of the photojournalists featured in this exhibition are from Iraq. Ako is from Kurdistan region and Shaho is from Kirkuk. All of their photographs document the effects of war and how people adapt to these life-changing events.

Both Ako and Shaho now live in the Northeast of England. Having been refugees themselves, they use their photography and mutual experiences to help raise awareness of what is currently happening in Iraq.

Map photo credit: Timo Miroshnichenko, Pexels.com

Choose from the themes below to view the linked photographs or choose Gallery of Photographs to see the images without writing alongside.

Against a dark pink background all the photographs seen in the exhibition gradually appear and overlap with each other. It finishes with the photograph Reflections, showing two young girls smiling directly at the camera from behind a window, as a background to the text.
Against a dark pink background all the photographs seen in the exhibition gradually appear and overlap with each other. It finishes with the photograph Reflections, showing two young girls smiling directly at the camera from behind a window, as a background to the text.

Reflections

Two children look at themselves and laugh from the window mirror, even in difficult times, as photographers we need love and smiles, this photograph was important for me.

Kirkuk, Iraq 2017

Photo: Shaho Omar

It is with this last picture, aptly titled Reflections, that this exhibition comes to a close. Like it was for Shaho when he wrote its caption, this photograph is significant to me too; it, like the rest of the exhibition, is showing the hope and positives that can be found even in difficult situations, where everything has changed completely.

Like Ako and Shaho, I hope this exhibition has gone some way to helping you to understand the situation in Iraq and the realities of being a refugee. If you would like to see these photographs in person, please contact the art team at artcollection@durham.ac.uk for more information.

Thank you for looking through this exhibition. I hope you found it as fulfilling as I did to make it. I would like to thank Ako and Shaho for entrusting me with creating this exhibition with their photographs and messages, and I am also grateful for their invaluable insights from our interview, without which this project would not have been possible.

Thanks also goes to Skimstone Arts Centre where this exhibition was first held and to Alix Collingwood-Swinburn and especially Chelsea Dixon for her incredible support throughout this process.

This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled A Mother’s Cry. It shows a woman sat cross-legged on the floor, alone. Her hand is on her chest in anguish with a pained expression on her face. Her head covering is white and doesn’t cover her face, whilst the rest of her clothes are all black. There are three graves in the image as well as three people in the background whose heads cannot be seen in the frame.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled The Kiss. It shows a man on the left who is kissing the side of a woman’s head. He has his left hand on her head as he does this, so that you can see he is wearing a ring on his ring finger, and a watch on his wrist. He is looking to the right of the image, over her head whereas she is looking directly at the camera lens. She is faintly smiling and has both a nose ring and a head covering on.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Search for Safety. In the foreground of the image are three children who are peering out from behind some panelling. In the background are some other children who cannot be seen very clearly because of the light levels. The child on the right is obscured quite a lot by the panelling whereas the child in the middle is looking out, away from the camera, and the child on the left is looking directly at the camera. All three have worried expressions on their faces.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Family Life. It shows a woman and young boy on the right hand side of the photograph, smiling at the camera lens. There is a light, patterned tent that is opened so that we can see these people.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Meaning of Life. It shows three young children at a water pump. The two taller children are both holding a water cannister each. No other structures can be seen in the photograph, showing how these pumps can be far away from some camps, meaning the children have to carry these heavy containers on their walks back.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Victory. This is a very light image, the background is a white tent. From inside the tent, two groups of two children are peeking out of the tent and smiling at the camera. They have two fingers up in the victory symbol.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Taped. It is overall a very dark image. It shows the corner of a room where two walls of windows meet. All of these windows are taped with crosses to protect them in case of explosions. The city outside the window cannot be seen very clearly other than a bird in one of the top rows towards the left.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled A Different Daily Life. It shows a girl in the centre of the foreground who is smiling at the camera. Behind her is a line with clothes hung up on it and in the left hand side of the image is a tent. Further away in the image are other tents and the figures of other people.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Death of the Fish. There is a strong contrast between the darkness of the river bank where the dead fish is lying, and the lightness of the river. The fish is in the foreground and takes up quite a lot of space in the image. In the background, the only other living thing is grass.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Mother. It shows the backs of a man’s calves where on the right hand side there is a tattoo of his mother’s face. The background is of the floor which is a patterned grey with the shadow of a happy face. The man’s sandaled feet are stood over where the nose and eyes of the face on the floor would be. Next to the left leg is an arrow pointing diagonally North-West.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled The Water Sellers. It shows a young man and a boy sat on stools in front of a building that has two doors. The boy on the right hand side is looking directly at the camera whilst the young man is looking towards the boy. They are both wearing shorts and t-shirts. Between them there is a table where they are selling their water as well as two baskets on the floor. There is graffiti on the building in the background. To the right hand side of the image is a person pushing a pushchair with a small child in it who is also looking at the camera.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Back to School. It shows a classroom which is inside a large tent and has a temporary floor. There is light coming in from an opening in the tent at the back of the classroom. It is filled with desks, all of which are empty apart from one in the middle of the back row where there is a child with their head on their arms on the desk. There are no other people in the image.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Fly Away. The foreground of the image shows some people stood in a group with a background of military vehicles and temporary shelters. The sky has no visible clouds but is filled with a large flock of birds which are specks in the zoomed out image.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Suicide Attack. It shows the aftermath of a suicide track bomb that hit multiple Kurdish security buildings in Qamishli in Syria, injuring more than 100 people and killing 40. The image shows buildings standing in the background with the foreground showing lots of people on the ground as well as some vehicles. The picture is quite zoomed out so individual people are not identifiable and the scale of the buildings to the people can be seen.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled All were Lost. It shows a woman wearing a head covering, holding a handkerchief up to her mouth with a grieved expression on her face. In her left hand she is holding up a frame in front of the camera lens showing photographs of her eleven family members who were all killed in the chemical attack. Other people can be seen in the background although they are partially hidden by her and the frame.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Concrete Love. It shows a smiley face painted onto a piece of concrete in Freedom Park. The paint runs slightly down the eyes, almost looking like tears. Two hands are clasped, resting on the top of the concrete. The concrete is the lightest part of the image.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Reflections. It shows two young girls who are smiling directly at the camera. They are stood behind a window and are framed by the frames of the window.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled A Mother’s Cry. It shows a woman sat cross-legged on the floor, alone. Her hand is on her chest in anguish with a pained expression on her face. Her head covering is white and doesn’t cover her face, whilst the rest of her clothes are all black. There are three graves in the image as well as three people in the background whose heads cannot be seen in the frame.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled The Kiss. It shows a man on the left who is kissing the side of a woman’s head. He has his left hand on her head as he does this, so that you can see he is wearing a ring on his ring finger, and a watch on his wrist. He is looking to the right of the image, over her head whereas she is looking directly at the camera lens. She is faintly smiling and has both a nose ring and a head covering on.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Search for Safety. In the foreground of the image are three children who are peering out from behind some panelling. In the background are some other children who cannot be seen very clearly because of the light levels. The child on the right is obscured quite a lot by the panelling whereas the child in the middle is looking out, away from the camera, and the child on the left is looking directly at the camera. All three have worried expressions on their faces.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Family Life. It shows a woman and young boy on the right hand side of the photograph, smiling at the camera lens. There is a light, patterned tent that is opened so that we can see these people.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Meaning of Life. It shows three young children at a water pump. The two taller children are both holding a water cannister each. No other structures can be seen in the photograph, showing how these pumps can be far away from some camps, meaning the children have to carry these heavy containers on their walks back.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Victory. This is a very light image, the background is a white tent. From inside the tent, two groups of two children are peeking out of the tent and smiling at the camera. They have two fingers up in the victory symbol.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Taped. It is overall a very dark image. It shows the corner of a room where two walls of windows meet. All of these windows are taped with crosses to protect them in case of explosions. The city outside the window cannot be seen very clearly other than a bird in one of the top rows towards the left.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled A Different Daily Life. It shows a girl in the centre of the foreground who is smiling at the camera. Behind her is a line with clothes hung up on it and in the left hand side of the image is a tent. Further away in the image are other tents and the figures of other people.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Death of the Fish. There is a strong contrast between the darkness of the river bank where the dead fish is lying, and the lightness of the river. The fish is in the foreground and takes up quite a lot of space in the image. In the background, the only other living thing is grass.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Mother. It shows the backs of a man’s calves where on the right hand side there is a tattoo of his mother’s face. The background is of the floor which is a patterned grey with the shadow of a happy face. The man’s sandaled feet are stood over where the nose and eyes of the face on the floor would be. Next to the left leg is an arrow pointing diagonally North-West.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled The Water Sellers. It shows a young man and a boy sat on stools in front of a building that has two doors. The boy on the right hand side is looking directly at the camera whilst the young man is looking towards the boy. They are both wearing shorts and t-shirts. Between them there is a table where they are selling their water as well as two baskets on the floor. There is graffiti on the building in the background. To the right hand side of the image is a person pushing a pushchair with a small child in it who is also looking at the camera.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled Back to School. It shows a classroom which is inside a large tent and has a temporary floor. There is light coming in from an opening in the tent at the back of the classroom. It is filled with desks, all of which are empty apart from one in the middle of the back row where there is a child with their head on their arms on the desk. There are no other people in the image.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Fly Away. The foreground of the image shows some people stood in a group with a background of military vehicles and temporary shelters. The sky has no visible clouds but is filled with a large flock of birds which are specks in the zoomed out image.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Suicide Attack. It shows the aftermath of a suicide track bomb that hit multiple Kurdish security buildings in Qamishli in Syria, injuring more than 100 people and killing 40. The image shows buildings standing in the background with the foreground showing lots of people on the ground as well as some vehicles. The picture is quite zoomed out so individual people are not identifiable and the scale of the buildings to the people can be seen.
This black and white photograph taken by Ako Ismail is titled All were Lost. It shows a woman wearing a head covering, holding a handkerchief up to her mouth with a grieved expression on her face. In her left hand she is holding up a frame in front of the camera lens showing photographs of her eleven family members who were all killed in the chemical attack. Other people can be seen in the background although they are partially hidden by her and the frame.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Concrete Love. It shows a smiley face painted onto a piece of concrete in Freedom Park. The paint runs slightly down the eyes, almost looking like tears. Two hands are clasped, resting on the top of the concrete. The concrete is the lightest part of the image.
This black and white photograph taken by Shahor Omar is titled Reflections. It shows two young girls who are smiling directly at the camera. They are stood behind a window and are framed by the frames of the window.

Reflections

Two children look at themselves and laugh from the window mirror, even in difficult times, as photographers we need love and smiles, this photograph was important for me.

Kirkuk, Iraq 2017

Photo: Shaho Omar

It is with this last picture, aptly titled Reflections, that this exhibition comes to a close. Like it was for Shaho when he wrote its caption, this photograph is significant to me too; it, like the rest of the exhibition, is showing the hope and positives that can be found even in difficult situations, where everything has changed completely.

Like Ako and Shaho, I hope this exhibition has gone some way to helping you to understand the situation in Iraq and the realities of being a refugee. If you would like to see these photographs in person, please contact the art team at artcollection@durham.ac.uk for more information.

Thank you for looking through this exhibition. I hope you found it as fulfilling as I did to make it. I would like to thank Ako and Shaho for entrusting me with creating this exhibition with their photographs and messages, and I am also grateful for their invaluable insights from our interview, without which this project would not have been possible.

Thanks also goes to Skimstone Arts Centre where this exhibition was first held and to Alix Collingwood-Swinburn and especially Chelsea Dixon for her incredible support throughout this process.

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