Aymen Al-Ameri: Framing Iraq Beyond Conflict

Baghdad photographer Aymen Al-Ameri reframes post-conflict resilience in his Emaho interview. Through poignant portraits and urban aftermaths, he captures Iraqi cultural memory and daily endurance—from endangered marshes to Baghdad streets—transcending war narratives for intimate human stories.

Helmut Smits: “The sculpture already exists within the marble; Michelangelo’s task was merely to chisel away the excess. I think the same is true for almost everything in life.”

From a childhood of crafting without museums to distilling Coca-Cola into pure water in “The Real Thing,” Rotterdam artist Helmut Smits chisels poetry from the everyday. This Emaho interview unveils his minimalist conceptual process—unearthing ideas in consumer waste and grass stamps—blending wit, freedom, and accessible critique.