company of: the people that allowed me to capture them and shared their words and faces with me.
Aziz Alfraih
In my last year abroad, i started surrounding myself with warmth.
It was pouring from all around me. I finally found intimacy that did not involve physicality or romantic actions.
Reaching a phase of my life where I was ready to occupy whatever time I had left with good memories. I have always been a documentarist.
At 23, my friendships have become a main mean of selfempowerment. I couldn’t find a specific satisfaction with friends abroad. We did not share visions and we barely have the same taste. I found fullfillment in my Arab friends. I found that my connection with my Kuwaiti friends has grown stronger the longer I am away. We still shared the same struggles even though we’re continenets apart. They remained to be my companions, virtually.
The privacy I shared with my Kuwaiti friends is what made me grow the most. I pointed my camera at them when they allowed. This is not about a social cause just yet. This is about what makes me think and who’s the reason I love my films. I enjoyed their company so much, all I wanted to do was capture it. This project is a visualization of my homesick senses. I start seeking any sort of connection that can keep me warm. It became a habit of mine to create a draw a current made of my memories in Kuwait. The other photos are just idle thoughts. I find strange company in scenes and plants. I can never explain it fully. It’s a simple attraction.
I missed the company of people that I grew up with. Reuniting with Kuwaiti women was inspiring me in so many ways. I have alway been a fan of Kuwaiti women when they gather and talk amongst each other. The words that roll out of their tongues are always exciting and filled with different intentions. I was brought up around three Kuwaiti sisters and a Kuwaiti mother. I have nothing but love to kuwaiti women. I started photographing them. A lot of the photos have become private and personal.