Yousef Khanfar is a
Palestinian-American photographer and author.
He was born in 1956 in
Kuwait to
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who fled or were expelled from their country over the course of the 1947–49 Palestine war ( 1948 Palestinian exodus) and the Six-Day War ( 1967 Palestinian exo ...
parents who fled their homeland after the establishment of the state of
Israel. Khanfar began taking photographs at the age of six, when his father gave him his first camera.
At the age of 17, Khanfar moved to the United States, and spent the next twenty years traveling the world taking photographs. He currently resides in
Oklahoma City.
Khanfar's photography has been published in magazines such as ''
Oprah'', ''International Photo Art'', and ''Outdoor Photography''. He has also published two books of his work: 2000's ''Voices of Light'', and 2007's ''In Search of Peace'', recipient of the 2007 IP Outstanding Book of the Year Award.
Publications
''Voices of Light''
Khanfar's first publication, this book displays various landscape photographs around the world, along with poetry written by Khanfar. Described as displaying the "secrets and mysteries of nature", Yousef Khanfar uses this book to show how, although he may have lost his homeland, he now views the whole world as his homeland.
''In Search of Peace''
Winner of the 2007 IP Outstanding Book of the Year in the category of "Most Life-Changing", and selected to be gifted in the Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations by the Fulbright Center for Peace in Washington, DC, this book displays a message of universal healing for humanity and peace between nations. This publication is split into three sections: "Sublime", "Freedom", and "Divine". The first section displays images of natural conflict, representing the human conflict we face. The second section, consisting mostly of impressionist images, represents the human freedom of expression. The final section contains images that represent peace and divinity, the final goal that Khanfar views for humanity.
''Invisible Eve''
His latest publication, Khanfar photographs women imprisoned for nonviolent crimes. Capturing the living quarters, day-to-day life, and quotes from the women regarding their situation, Khanfar hopes to give these forgotten women a voice for others to hear. He intends these messages to discourage other boys and girls from committing crimes and ending up in prison.
Portraiture
Yousef Khanfar has also captured the portraits of many influential figures including
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...
and
Emma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
Emma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (born 16 October 1941) is a British politician, who has been a life peer since 1997. She was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Torridge and West Devon in 1987, befor ...
. Justice O'Connor has also praised Khanfar's portraiture work, stating that she was "stunned and overcome with the beauty of your photograph".
Other notable portraits include that of
David Wynne,
Leona Mitchell, and
Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan ( ar, طارق رمضان, ; born 26 August 1962) is a Swiss Muslim academic, philosopher, and writer. He was a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at St Antony's College, Oxford and the Faculty of Theology and Religion, Univ ...
.
References
General references
Profile of Yousef Khanfar at the Institute for Middle East UnderstandingYousef Khanfar Praise and ReviewsYousef Khanfar About Me
External links
*
Yousef Khanfar Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khanfar, Yousef
Living people
American people of Palestinian descent
1956 births
Palestinian expatriates in Kuwait