Experience of displacement and migration is part of my family and I carry it with me. It’s part of who I am. I am an immigrant myself and built my artistic practice around the subject of migration and separation.
The core of my practice is storytelling. I work predominantly with books as a medium. My work consists of photography, drawing, text, spoken word and archival interventions.
I also run workshops teaching storytelling and photobookmaking. Among others I organised photographic workshop in refugee camps in Algeria.
I am based in Margate UK.
Collections:
MoMA library "Erna Helena Ania."
Books/catalogues:
2023 "End Time" -- self-published
2021 "Erna Helena Ania" -- published by Blow Up Press/self-published
2018 "Disappearance" -- self-published
2018 Manifesto exhibition catalogue, Toulouse, France
2018 "Almost True" -- published by Void
2017 Kolga Photo Festival catalogue
2016 "Cul De Sac" -- self-published
2016 "40/place which does not exist" -- self-published
Awards/grants:
2024 Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Shortlist
2022 The Best Photographic Book of the Year Photo Espania --shortlist
2021 Tokyo International Foto Awards’ Book/Fine Art category silver winner
2021 International Photobook Award Finalist
2021 International Photographers of the year Awards bronze medal in the book/fine art category.
2021 Jerwood/Photoworks Awards -- longlisted
2021 The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Grant
2021 Grand Prix Images Vevey 2021 shortlist
2021 London Creative Network (LCN) grantee
2021 GOMMA Grant --shortlist
2021 Contemporary Lynx Academy mentorship grant
2020 BUP book award winner
2020 Reminders Photography Stronghold Grant, Tokyo, Japan, winner
2020 Adam Mickiewicz Institute Grant
2020 The Denis Roussel Award, 2020 outstanding work
2019 GOMMA Grant --shortlist
2018 Dummy Award Kassel competition – shortlist
2018 Self Publish Riga-- shortlist
2018 Manifesto, Toulouse, France -- finalist
2018 Adam Mickiewicz Institute Grant
2017 Athens Photo Festival Shortlist
2017 Kolga Photo Festival Finalist
2017 Vienna Photo Book Award Finalist
2016 Dummy Award Kassel competition -- honourable mention
Solo exhibitions:
2025 In-Dependence (by Ibasho) Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium (forthcoming)
2024 Erna Helena Ania, Four Corners, London
2023 W Ramach Sopotu, Sopot, Poland
2022 Reminders Photography Stronghold, Tokyo Japan
2021 Bildbandem, Berlin, Germany
2020 Studio Spiral, Grenoble, France
2019 Paperlust Festival, Process, Galeria Apteka, Krakow, Poland
2018 Manifesto, Toulouse, France
2018 Zonoteka Berlin,Germany
2017 Fotobuch 2017, Forum fur Fotografie, Special Guest, Cologne Germany
2016 LePlac’Art Photo Paris France
Group Exhibitions:
2024 Photobooks, Four Corners, London
2024 Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Shortlist Exhibition, London
2022 The Best Photographic Book of the Year Photo Espania
2019 Art BookFair Tokyo
2018 Manifesto,Toulouse, France
2018 Zentralbibliothekim Kulturpalast, Dresden
2018 Photography Seminar, Nida
2018 Photobookweek, Aarhus
2018 Internationale Photoszene, Koln
2018 Organvida Festival, Zagreb
2018 Photo Legendo(Officine Fotografiche Roma) Rome
2018 IED, Madrid
2018 Triennial of Photography, Dichtorhallen, Hamburg
2018 Kassel Photobook Festival, Documenta Halle
2018 PhotoIreland – The Library Project, Dublin
2017 Tabernacle Gallery“Mythologies”, London, UK
2017 Athens Photo Festival Photobook Exhibition
2017 Kolga Photo Festival, Tbilisi, Georgia,
2017 Format Festival, Derby
2016 Photobook Week Aarhus, Galleri Image
2016 Encontrosda Imagem, Braga
2016 OrganVida Festival,Zagreb
2016 Fotogalleriet, Oslo
2016 PhotoIreland, Dublin
2016 Fotoleggendo, Rome
2016 8.FotobookfestivalKassel / Beijing
2015 Hundred YearsGallery, London
Residencies:
2018 Zonoteka Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Publications about:
2021 PhMuseum
2021 Blind Magazine
2021 Discarded Magazine
2021 GUP no70
2021 kuluturaupodstaw.pl
2021 5ruedu.fr
2021 Contemporary Lynx
2020 Colin Pantall's Blog
2020 Halogenure Magazine
2018 Almost True Void
2018 Burn Magazine
2017 Kolga Photo Festival catalog
2017 F-Stop MagazineLove issue
2017 prism 25.6 Disappearance
2017 British Journal ofPhotography
2016 Contemporary Lynx
Projections:
2018 Temps Zero Athens
2016 Leica Store Kyoto
2015 Hamburg PhotographyTrienale
Teaching Experience:
2022 June -- Handmade Photobook Workshop, Berlin Germany
2022 May -- Intermediate Online Photobookmaking Workshop, Online
2022 April -- Online Photobookmaking Workshop, Online
2022 March -- Handmade Photobook Workshop, Berlin Germany
2021 November -- Handmade Photobook Workshop, London UK
2021 October -- Online Photobookmaking Workshop, Online
2021 September -- Handmade Photobook Workshop, London UK
2020 January -- Handmade Photobook Workshop Gallery st Cyprien, Toulouse, France
2018 September -- Handmade Photobook Workshop, London UK
2018 May -- Creating handmade photobook workshop, London UK
2017 March -- Visual Storytelling workshop, Refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria
Interviews:
2021 kuluturaupodstaw.pl
2021 Contemporary Lynx
2020 Colin Pantall's Blog
2020 Halogenure Magazine
Talks:
2021 “Erna Helena Ania” Bildbandem, Berlin, Germany (upcoming)
2021 Reminders Photography Stronghold – Personal Point of View online
2020 “Erna Helena Ania” – online talk organise by Blow Up Press
2020 “Erna Helena Ania” – online talk exhibiton In Grenoble France
Internships:
2017 Anders Petersen Lab