Aun Raza

Aun Raza (b. 1983, Pakistan) was born and raised in Lahore. He studied at the National College of Arts, Lahore. Since 2010, Raza has been travelling extensively, encountering different cultures and ways of life, which has developed his impulse to photograph people and places through experiencing similar kinds of connections that he had in Pakistan, which they call ‘taaluq’ – the emphatic connection. Raza is based between Italy, Canada and Pakistan.

New Year in Samarkand

Samarkand is a two-sided postcard. On one side are the glorious remains of the Silk Road days and on the other side is the heavy, lingering Soviet shadow which keeps getting crossed over by seemingly distant American popular culture.

Around New Year’s Day, Uzbek Islamic-nationalism takes the back seat and Santa Clauses roam around doing everyday jobs while dreams of a different world float in the air. This series is a glimpse of the artist’s New Year experiences in Samarkand.