Osama Esid

Ghost Camera

Throughout his life, Esid’s response to the beautiful and the forgotten has been preservation; from his own marginalized position, he photographs communities on the fringes of society, those whose humanities might otherwise be capitalized. The images he creates become tapestry with texture and sound. Resounding and astounding, Osama Esid moves forward to future concepts with his sight set firmly on confounding the limitations of past mediums. Yet, there is a kindness to his way that, added to the diversity of his storytelling, is a perspective unique to this technician.

‘'You have to explain the process to break the ice; you see the opening for something and it’s up to you what to do with that something. I like that something. I want to invest in that something.’'

The 'Ghost Camera' concept - a term coined by Esid’s daughters who have played a huge role in his project - came to him after receiving an old camera and lens saved from a burning camera store owned by his friend. Esid took advantage of the distorted lens and captured hauntingly beautiful images of himself and his daughters, images that continue to raise questions, both technical and paranormal. This project was a way for him to create visuals from another time, a small window into the past.

Osama Esid (Damascus, 1970) studied at the Technical Institute of Damascus, Syria. In 2003, he traveled to Cairo, Egypt, where he established his studio and remained for three years. From 2003 until 2005, he developed the majority of his series in Cairo and also worked in the Lehnert & Landrock workshop as a stage designer and restoring 1914 glass plates.

Esid has received several awards for his work, including the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Award in 2008, and, during the same year, he was awarded a McKnight Foundation fellowship, with the resulting work displayed in 2010 at the Franklin Art Works in Minneapolis. In addition, Esid has had many solo exhibitions in various galleries in Spain and France and has also presented his work at several international art fairs, such as Art Dubai, Art Hong Kong, Art Shanghai, and Paris Photo. In 2010, Tropen Museum in Amsterdam acquired a selection of his works for their permanent collection.

Esid holds regular workshops in the Middle East, mostly Dubai, Kuwait, and Bahrain, teaching alternative printing processes such as Van Dyke brown, cyanotype, paper negative, and wet plate collodion for photographers and artists.