Self-portrait (2021)

Hydar Dewachi’s practice fuses imagery (both photography and film), design, and technology, often in a documentary, semi-autobiographical context.

Whether a commissioned or self-produced project, Hydar’s work spans documentary, portraiture, performance and journaling. Ongoing work includes the still life series Adagio; his experiments in colour and abstraction capturing the energy of music; and his life-long journaling projects. Hydar’s film works – often an artistic response to art projects – include performances, profiles and short documentaries. In 2016 he undertook a year-long artist residency with Jerwood Arts to explore the documentation of art projects. 

Since 2017, Hydar has been the photographer for the V&A’s flagship Friday Late programme. Other long term and regular clients include Art Fund, Barbican Centre, Camden Art Centre, Jerwood Arts, Arab British Centre, Acme Studios and Corali Dance Company.

Hydar has been a guest lecturer on postgraduate courses at universities in London and internationally, and in 2018 and 2019 he mentored artists as part of University of Agder’s Arts-based Ethnography course in Lesvos.

Hydar lives in London and has a MSc (1999) and BSc (1996) in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the University of Baghdad.


Full list of clients: Acme Studios • Arab British Centre • Art Fund • Artsadmin • Barbican Centre • Brent Biennial 2020 • Camden Art Centre • CGP London • City University of London • Corali Dance Company • Culture+Conflict • Film and Video Umbrella (FVU) • Gasworks • Grizedale Arts • Hayward Touring • The National Lottery Heritage Fund • The House of St. Barnabas • Ibraaz • The Independent Film & Television College (Baghdad) • Jerwood Arts • Kamel Lazaar Foundation • Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL) • Leighton House • Lower Hewood Farm • The PappyShow • Parasol Unit • Picturehouse Cinemas • Platform Nord (Norway) • Serpentine Galleries • Spitalfields Music Festival • Station House Opera • Tate • Thames Festival • Townhouse Gallery (Cairo) • UCL Art Museum • University of Agder (Norway) • University of Westminster • UP Projects • V&A Museum.

» Download the full CV (PDF) (updated February 2017)