Hanif Abdur-Rahim

As child of the south, Hanif Abdur-Rahim was impassioned from birth. A proud graduate of George Washington University, he sincerely embraced the worlds of both science and art. Fulfilled by science, but captivated by the power of the still image and art in general, Hanif found himself at a cross-road.

Hanif’s journey from medicine to photography, to aerial cinematography took root as he began to photograph notable musical artists and bands such as: Jay Z, Beyonce, Janelle Monae, India Arie, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, All Time Low, There For Tomorrow and many others. A self-taught photographer, aerial cinematographer and multidisciplinary artist, Hanif would eventually pursue his artistic endeavors full time.

Hanif’s list of clients covers all genres of photography. He routinely shoots with fashion models from the top New York City agencies (Major, Elite, Ford and MC2). He has also landed deals with major agencies for his fashion cinematography work. His fine art work has appeared globally. He is currently part of the internationally acclaimed Dandy Lion: Re-articulation of the Black Male Identity exhibition. The Dandy Lion project has been published in numerous publications, the latest iterations being, Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion published by Yale University Press and “Dandy Lion” published by Aperture.

Hanif has traveled extensively around the world from the USA to Japan and from the African continent to the Middle East photographing subjects and places. Currently, he is in production of a monumental solo fine art photographic exhibition entitled: The [purity] Project. The [purity] Project is a global peace initiative, the guillotine to blame, the eradicator of the ego and the elixir for all the “isms;” racism, sexism and classism.

For Hanif, photography is his paint brush that freezes time and makes the world take notice. He currently resides in Shreveport, La but travels globally for commercial, fashion and photojournalistic photographic assignments.

Hanif’s personal mission is to prove impossible to be a myth.

See artist statement.

http://www.hanifabdurrahim.com

George Washington University

2000