Fazal Sheikh is an artist who documents people through photographs, who are living in “displaced” and “marginalised” communities around the world. He takes portrait photos, although his work also includes: “personal narratives, found photographs, archival material, sound, and his own written texts.” He works by believing that a portrait is, an act of mutual engagement, and only by having a long-term commitment to a place and to a community can a series of photographs be really meaningful. His goal is to contribute to a wider  and better understanding of these groups, to respect them as individuals “and to counter the ignorance and prejudice that often attaches to them. ” 

“Each of his projects is collected and published and is exhibited internationally in galleries and museums. He also works closely with human rights organizations and believes in disseminating his work in forms that can be distributed as widely as possible and can be of use to the communities themselves.”

Here are some examples of his earlier portraiture works.

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A persons portrait almost always carries the  a story behind it. That is, I think, what separates the successful portrait from the others.

The story behind the portraits of Fazal Sheikh is one of displacement and dispossession. He is not known for a specific image, but rather his work as a whole. Sheikh shoots his images all in black and white to create a deeper response from the viewers when looking upon his images. Black and white is typically used to represent a timelessness effect. His main subjects in his photographs are people and places that are not originally outstanding/exceptional. But the way he was able to capture and depict the moment makes the image amazing.

Again, these are portraits of people who were living in marginalised communities around the world. But Instead of just hearing about how refugees in camps are living, we can see the hardship with our own eyes, by the way he shot the photos. 

Yet despite the circumstance of the portraits and the stories behind them, these are humane pictures. I really liked the way he shot/composed this pictures. Very simple but definitely powerful. Powerful in a way that through his photos, you can still see that there is a kindness in them, almost a tenderness, and a sense that even in the face of hopelessness there is a fundamental human dignity. There is respect and, a relationship/collaboration between the subject and photographer to tell a story. Some of the photographs are quite beautiful.