Karim IIiya
Earth: Jewel of the Cosmos
06–10.11.2025
Opening, Thursday, 06.11.2025, 5–8 PM
Regular opening hours, Saturday, 08.11.2025, 1–4 PM
Hafnar.haus, Tryggvagata 17, entrance a, second floor
show
There are things on this Earth that could not be conceived by the wildest of imaginations. It is a place of visceral elements, where wind and water whips across its face, sculpting the landscape. It is a place where glowing spirits dance across the arctic sky and volcanoes rage, spilling their molten glowing guts and creating new land. Earth is a strange and beautiful place full of wonders. A planet of elements. I have spent much of my life trying to capture a glimmer of its beauty, and share it with people so they might look through a small window into this place we all call home. This collection is a small look at the natural world, where oceans freeze, earth burns, and water turns into mountains. It is a look beneath the surface, where giants live, and life finds a way to thrive despite the harshest of conditions on this jewel of the cosmos.
artist
Karim Iliya is a photographer, filmmaker, whale swimming guide, and former dearMoon crew member living in Iceland. He also co-founded Kogia, a nature conservation non profit free media library serving conservationists, activists, and scientists in over 65 countries and runs fellowship programs for young storytellers around the world. Karim grew up in the Middle East and Asia and developed an insatiable curiosity for the natural world which has taken him into the midst of exploding volcanoes, battling whales, ice worlds of the Arctic, and many of the incredible places where humans and animals make their homes. Throughout his life he has been fascinated by the hidden mysteries in our universe, from the smallest creatures and the deepest seas, to the great vastness of space. Through his photography and films, Karim takes his audiences to hidden underwater worlds and documents other natural places in an effort to protect our delicate Ecosystems on Earth. Karim has worked in over 50 countries, won multiple awards, and his work has been featured in numerous distinguished magazines, documentaries, and publications.