Munir El Kadi is a photographer and photography educator currently based in the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was born in Beirut to Iraqi parents. He was strongly influenced by his father's interest in Photography, and his mother's artistic and creative background and surroundings. He started photography at the age of 14 when his father gave him an AE1 Canon film camera. At the age of 17 he had his first photograph published as a cover for Afaq Arabia cultural journal in Iraq. In the early days of digital photography he shifted his interest to documentary film making before moving back into photography in 2008. He studied under names like Ahmed Qabani and Muath Al Alousi from Iraq, and Maurice Weiss from Germany. He had a formal qualification in Photography from the New York Institute of Photography (NYIP) in 2011.
Previous Exhibitions:
May, 6, 2026 - May 31, 2026 PHOTOCLUB VANCOUVER Exhibition, Venue: Gallery George
April, 3, 2025 - April 13, 2025 PHOTOCLUB VANCOUVER with the Vancouver Street Collective Group Exhibition, Venue: Gallery George
MAY, 30, 2022 - JUN 30, 2022 PHOTOCLUB VANCOUVER Group Exhibition, Venue: ZAK Gallery,
MAR, 02, 2022 - MAR 30, 2022 Phases - An Artist With Roots In The Middle East, Venue: Arts Council of Surrey (Newton),
JUN, 05, 2021 - SEP 18, 2021 SURREY ARTS 2021, Venue: Surrey Art Centre,
MAY, 08 - Jul 31, 2018 Art Souq - a group exhibition of 25 international artists, Venue: Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Al Batteen, Abu Dhabi
OCT, 03 - OCT 26, 2016 Wednesday Group International Group Exhibition, Venue: Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Al Batteen, Abu Dhabi
SEP, 05 - SEP 26, 2016 Phases - First Solo Exhibition, Under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness, Princess Rym Al Ali of Jordan, Venue: Al Orfali Art Gallery, Um Uthaina, Amman, Jordan
JUN, 20 - JUL 17, 2016 Darkroom Gallery Group Exhibition - Manus et Pedibus, Venue: The Darkroom Gallery,, VT , USA
MAY, 31- Jun, 21, 2016: Group Exhibition - Open Entries, Venue: La Parole Gallery, Abu Dhabi
MAR, 3-27, 2016 Darkroom Gallery Group Exhibition - Culture, Venue The Darkroom Gallery,, VT , USA
NOV, 8-18, 2015: A Touch of Heritage, A group exhibition of UAE based Artists held on the occasion of UAE National Day - Venue: National Theater of Abu Dhabi, UAE
APR, 14 - MAY, 14, 2015: Now in Here, An exhibition by Goethe Institute hosting emerging Arab Photographers from the Middle East and North Africa, Venue: Goethe Institute, Freiburg, Germany
APR, 6 - MAY, 6, 2015: Colors of Arabia, A group exhibition hosted by Alliance Francaise for the Wednesday Group International Photographers, Venue: Alliance Francaise, Abu Dhabi, UAE
MAR, 1-8, 2015: Quintessence: The Five Elements, The annual exhibition of the Wednesday Group International, Venue: Cafe Arabia, 15th Street, Abu Dhabi, UAE
JUN, 13 - JUL, 12, 2014: Shutter Hub Annual Open, Shutter Hub members annual exhibition, Venue: Wisbech & Fenland Museum, Museum Square, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, UK
MAR, 22-29, 2014: Iraqi Touches: A group exhibition for Iraqi Photographers based in different parts of the world under the patronage of His Excellency Mowafaq Mahdi Abboud Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq, Venue: Art Plus Gallery - Al Saraya Avenue - Dubai
MAY, 1 - 31, 2013 CMYK, A photography community exhibition on the colors (CMYK), Venue: GulfPhotoPlus: Art Gallery, Dubai

Awards:
June, 2021 2nd Place Arts 2021, Photography - Arts Council of Surry, BC, Canada
June, 2016 3rd Place Moscow International Foto Awards - Bronze - Advertisements Category
April, 2016 HONORABLE MENTION WINNER INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS - Fine Art, Photo Manipulation
April, 2016 HONORABLE MENTION WINNER OF PX3, Prix de la Photographie Paris - for 2 entries
JUL, 2014 Shutter Hub Open, 2nd place
JUL, 2013 Judges' Award of Merit, Still Life Category, International Fine Art Photography Award, Grand Prix De La Dècouverte
OCT, 2012 HONORABLE MENTION WINNER OF 2012 International Photography Awards (LUCIE) - People, Culture Category

Membership:
- Arts Council of Surrey,
- Photoclub Vancouver, in Canada,
- Wednesday Group in Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Shutter Hub in the UK
- Natural History Group - UAE

Other interests: History of Arts, Sciences and Technology, Philosophy of Science, Travel, History and Archeology, Tango

Currently, his day job is in IT in Higher Education.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I restarted my artistic journey in photography as a form of Sufi meditation and a celebration of our similarities and differences as a human race, as well as those in the physical world around us and what they mean. Chaos and harmony work side by side in a tango of diversity and subtle uniformity. To me photography is a way to transcend from mundane existence to spiritual richness.
I am an advocate of the principle concept that photography, in its deepest artistic form, is a three point bridge between the artist, the subject and the eye of the beholder. For my art work to be effective, I try to invoke the feelings of the observer based in her or his own
life journey. This can be seen in the difference subjects of my art work. Whether it is a gentle stream, a crushing wave, a landscape, the lines of a human body, trees as ancient as life itself, the minute details of the smallest creatures or as big as distant stars, or our cosmopolitan human surrounding, I try to find what connects to the viewer and build on it.
Nothing is more enjoying to me than hearing the diverse feelings and interpretations of my art work viewers, based on their experiences. In this, I am a true believer of the words of Ansel Adams
"Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution."