The Yezidi religion is one of the oldest. Since its founding years
74 genocides committed against them. The youngest and most
systematic done by the IS terrorist militia. The Yazidis are more
persecuted than other religious communities,
because they are regarded as devil worshipers. This is because
they believe in Tausi Melek, a fallen angel in the form of a
peacock. Since the invasion of the IS terrorist militia in Iraq,
hundreds of thousands Yazidis were uprooted and are on the run.
Thousands of men and boys were shot and beheaded women
abducted and sold at auction as sex slaves. In adverse
circumstances they have
erected makeshift shelters, where they found just enough room.
Only a few have made it into the camps set up by NGOs. Most live
in the reinforced concrete skeletons of unfinished houses,
improvised in tents made of tarpaulins and branches or on the
road.
They had no chance to prepare for the flight, nor to pack the
essentials. Winter has come to Kurdistan and saps the forces of
refugees who have no winter clothes or blankets to protect
themselves against it. Until the beginning of the year 10,000
Yazidis were encircled in the Sinjar Mountains of the IS militia.
Over 4 months, they fought with little food, little ammunition and
weapons to survive until the Kurdish Peshmerga free fought a land
corridor. With the story, I wish to draw attention to the situation of
the Yazidis, who are the main victims of this conflict. Here I want
to show a broad spectrum. The current life situation, the despair
of the encircled, the struggle for survival, the war with all its
horrors, the religion, the destruction of religion, individual fates
and their background.
Christian Werner is a freelance multimedia/photojournalist based in Boitzum, Germany. As a teenager he developed his interest in photography while traveling to foreign countries.
In 2014 he graduated the photojournalism & documentary photography course at the University of Applied Sciences in Hannover. His main interests are social diversity and global political issues. The areas of interest is mainly the arabic world and culture.
Chris worked in various countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and South America.
His work has been exhibited internationally. He welcomes assignments local and overseas.
Since 2012 Christian is represented by agency laif.
Vita
1987 – born in Hannover
2007 – final secondary-school examinations
2008 – seven-month practical course at the photography department of the newspaper „Neue Presse“, Hannover
2009 – begin of photojournalism study at the University of Applied Sciences in Hannover
2012 – represented by agency laif
2012 – four-month practical course at the photography and multimedia department of the magazine „DER SPIEGEL“, Hamburg
2014 – graduation of photojournalism & documentary photography at the University of Applied Sciences, Hannover
Awards Awards
2012, “BEST PORTFOLIO”- competition, 3rd , Freundeskreis des Hauses der Photographie e.V.
2012, Unicef Photo of the Year, Honorable Mention, Unicef
2013, Canon ProfiFoto Award 13/1, winner, Profifoto
2013, PDN photo annual, winner, Pdn photo annual
2013, px3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, gold medal, px3
2013, brennpunkt AWARD, winner, brennpunkt
2013, American Aperture Awards, 2 x winner, ax3
2013, dpa news talent, 2nd, dpa news talent
2013, Axel-Springer-Preis, finalist, Axel-Springer-Preis
2013, Alexia Foundation Professional Grant, finalist, Alexia Foundation
2013, Eugene Smith Grant, finalist, Eugene Smith Memorial Fund
2013, Kindernothilfe Medienpreis, winner, Kindernothilfe
2013, Felix Schoeller Photo Award, nominated, FSPA
2013, PIC Förderpreis, winner, PIC-Verband
2013, JGS Photography Contest, runner-up, Forward Thinking Museum
2013, 68th College Photographer of the Year, gold + bronze medal, CPOY
2013, Fellowship 14, Commendation Award, Silver Eye Center for Photography
2014, Sony World Photography Award, shortlisted, WPO
2014, CNN Journalist Award, winner, CNN Journalist Award
2014, Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund, Grantee, MFEF
2014, px3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, bronze medal, px3
2014, Kontinent Awards, official selection, Kontinent Awards
2014, UNICEF Picture of the Year, 2nd, UNICEF
2014, Terry O’Neill Award 2014, finalist, Terry O’Neill Award
2015, JGS Photography Contest, winner, Forward Thinking Museum
2015, Pictures of the Year international, Award of Excellence, POYi
2015, Hansel-Mieth-Preis Digital, winner, Zeitenspiegel
2015, American Photography 31 SELECTED, winner, AP31
2015, Axel-Springer-Preis, nominiert, ASP
2015, World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass, participant, JSM
Exhibtions & Screenings
2010, group exhibtion, Nach Neuem Trachten, Niedersächsische Landesvertretung Berlin, Hannover, Rodenberg, Germany
2011, group exhibtion, 10 years Photojournalism & Documentary Photography, Hannover, Germany
2011, screening, Foodphoto Festival, Tarragona, Spain
2011, group exhibition, Istanbul, Gallery Kubus Hannover, Germany
2012, group exhibition, Unicef Photo of the Year, Presse – und Informationsamt Berlin, Germany
2013, screening, The Browse – Berlin Fotofestival, Berlin, Germany
2013, screening, Angkor Photo Festival, Siem Reap, Cambodia
2013, single exhibition, lfi-Magazine, Hamburg, Germany
2013, group exhibition, Eugene Smith Grant, New York, USA
2013, screening, Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan, France
2013, screening, dpa news talent ceremony, Berlin, Germany
2013, group exhibition, American Aperture Awards, Beverly Hills, USA, Australia
2013, group exhibition, Exposition Px3 Paris Photo Prize, Paris, France
2013, group exhibition, Winners & Nominees 2013 – Felix Schoeller Photo Award, Osnabrück, Germany
2014, group exhibition,Fellowship 14 Exhibition, Silver Eye Center for Photography, USA
2014, group exhibition,Photo Independent Art Fair, Hollywood, USA
2014, group exhibition, Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition, Somerset-House – London, Great Britain
2014, screening, Lumix Festival for young Photojournalism, Expo-Plaza Hannover, Germany
2014, group exhibition, Exposition Px3 Paris Photo Prize, Paris, France
2014, group exhibition, Tears In Paradise – Photographing the Tyranny of Mental Illness in Bali, Bentara Budaya Denpasar, Bali
2014, group exhibition, Living Conditions – Photojournalism from Hanover, Perpignan, France
2014, group exhibition, Terry O’Neill Award 2014, Terry O’Neill Award, London, United Kingdom
2014, group exhibition, Unicef Photo of the Year, Presse – und Informationsamt Berlin, Germany
2014, group exhibition, Photokina 2014, Photokina, Köln, Germany
2015, group exhibition, Kolga Tbilisi Best Photos of the Year 2015, Kolga Tbilisi, Georgia
2015, group exhibition, Pictures of the Year international, Award of Excellence, POYi, Columbia, MO, USA
