An absurd and unexpected series from Jordan photographer Tanya Habjouqa

Born in Jordan, educated in Texas and based in Jerusalem, photographer Tanya Habjouqa has earned a reputation for photojournalism that brings politics and creative vision into the same frame. Whilst her photographs zoom in on gender, identity and social issues in the Middle East, they’re far from one might expect from photography with a political edge. Tanya’s playful eye navigates cultural nuances with equal parts sensitivity and humour, finding elements of the absurd amidst day-to-day realities in the politically divided Levant.

Her series Occupied Pleasures not only won her a World Press Award last year, but it’s also been featured in Vice’s new Photo Issue produced in collaboration with Magnum Photos. Amongst its varied subjects, the hyperreal series counts Gazan bodybuilders, carefree boat rides in the besieged Mediterranean sea, students doing yoga on the outskirts of Bethlehem and a man stuck in traffic with a sheep next to him in the front seat. For all its humour or drama, there is always a layer of gravitas beneath Tanya’s work, making her a rare breed of photographer able to seamlessly blend the light-hearted and the hard-hitting.