Arez Ghaderi
Arez Ghaderi is a documentary photographer born in Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan, and currently based in Hanover, Germany.
Since 2001, he has worked on long-term photographic projects exploring themes of belonging, displacement, memory, and family ties, as well as the lives of communities that are often overlooked or underrepresented. His approach is shaped by personal experiences of migration and distance, which have influenced both the subjects he chooses and the way he engages with people through photography.
For Ghaderi, photography is above all a way of connecting with people and understanding the world through their experiences. Through his projects, he seeks to engage with everyday life, memory, belonging, and human relationships, following stories that are often overlooked or unheard. His work has been exhibited internationally while remaining rooted in a deep interest in human experience and social realities.
He is currently studying Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover, Germany.
Awards
- 2026 _ İSTANBUL PHOTO AWARDS – Story Portrait 1st Prize
- 2025 _ UNICEF Photo of the Year Honorable Mentions
- 2025 _ Shortlist Nikon Fotobus Grant
- 2025 – Audience Award of the 13th Wiesbaden Photo Days
- 2024 – The Dummy Award Winners
- 2023 – Overall Winner, Transversalities – Photography Without Borders
- 2022 – Winner, IM/AGE-19 Photography Contest
- 2022 – Honorable Mention, Portugal Transversalidades (Cultural Section)
- 2018 – Grand Prize, InterAction’s 16th Annual Photo Contest
- 2017 – Honorable Mention, Siena International Photo Award
- 2016 – UNICEF Photo of the Year
- 2016 – Gold Medal, PSA Norouz Tajikistan
- 2016 – Winner, Portugal Transversalidades (Cultural Section)
- 2015 – Winner, 35th NIKON Photo Contest
- 2015 – Honorary Medal, 9th International Emirates Photo Competition
- 2014 – Gold Medal, 9th International Biennial Exhibition of Child Photography, Poland
- 2012 – Honorary Medal, Slavonia International Mask Photo Contest
- 2010 – Winner, 17th International Youth Photography Contest, Iran
- 14 additional awards in national photo festivals, Iran
Solo Exhibitions
- 2025 – EMOP European Month of Photography, Berlin, Germany
- 2019 – Arc Film Festival, Mainz, Germany
- 2019 – Augenblicke, Yok Yok Café Gallery, Frankfurt, Germany
- 2019 – Kleine Galerie am Rathaus, Eschborn, Germany
- 2016 – Black Smile, Sanandaj, Iran
- 2012 – Windows, Sanandaj, Iran
- 2011 – Childhood, Sanandaj, Iran
- 2010 – Anonymous, Sulaimaniyah, Iraq
Group Exhibitions
- 2025 – Hoepfner Stiftung Photo Competition “Changes”, Karlsruhe, Germany
- 2025 – Wiesbadener Fototage, Wiesbaden, Germany
- 2021 – Faces of Charity (Gesichter der Nächstenliebe), ConSozial, Nürnberg, Germany
- Over 30 additional group exhibitions worldwide