Immunologist Medya was born in Mahabad. She fled to Sweden in her youth and now lives in Haarlem. Medya has recently started photography. With photography she learns about herself and comes to balance.

Coming home to Haarlem
Medya Stemerding-Shikhagaie was born in Mahabad, a historic Kurdish city in northwestern Iran. A few years after the Islamic Revolution, Medya fled to Sweden with her family at the age of nine. Medya grew up in Sweden, but then lived in many different places. For example, she lived for studies in the United States, Spain and Germany. Six years ago, Medya moved to downtown Haarlem with her husband. A year later, their son was born.
The distinctive landmark building in the city center, where Medya's family lives, used to be a hair salon. Medya felt a connection to the city from the first moment. "Haarlem is historic and beautiful. I felt right at home in Haarlem because it reminds me of Mahabad. That is also a city with a lot of history."Â
Storytelling
At the Amsterdam UMC, Medya works as a PhD immunologist. There she works in the laboratory where she is passionate about researching cancer. Throughout her life, Medya surrounds herself with creative people. Her husband is a designer and her friends are also creative people. "From inside, I got a strong feeling that I wanted to do something creative myself," she says. From her interest in photography, Medya started taking pictures. She took a course at the Fotoacademie in Amsterdam. Medya discovered that she is very visually oriented. "One way to express myself is photography. With pictures I can tell stories that I can't tell with words."


Coming into balance
Among other things, Medya makes street photographs of Haarlem. In them, she wants to portray timelessness. The photographs she takes now could also have been taken 100 years ago. Her first series, with the theme 'identities', was exhibited in Martiniplaza in Groningen. This exhibition is about herself and her family. With her photography she likes to tell stories of others, but she starts with herself. She felt that was necessary. "I always had a recurring dream where I had to hide and go into hiding. That comes from my childhood in wartime Mahabad. Putting together the series of 'identities' was a kind of healing for me. Since this exhibition, I no longer have that dream. I get to know myself through photography and come to balance through it."
Authentic crafts
Another of Medya's reports is about authentic crafts in Haarlem. "What artisans do is very unique. Photos can capture that feeling. It's not only about what people do, but also about who they are. Crafts often pass from generation to generation; I find that very interesting. People I photographed really take the time to bring something of the history to life. That is unique. The historic city of Haarlem in particular allowed me to peek into the lives of old trades and crafts, for example, pharmacist Sophie van Os, painter Léon Spierenburg and furniture restorer Dennis Le Poole. During my walks through the inner city of Haarlem, I have discovered that there is still a lot of fascinating things asking to be recorded in order to add lustre to the history of Haarlem."


See more from Medya
With her passion for photography, Medya hopes to ultimately achieve more with it, for herself, for the city of Haarlem and for those, who will view the photos.
Curious about Medya's photos or want to join her photo shoot about crafts in Haarlem? Take a look on Instagram @medya_mara.
Photos: ©Medya Stemerding Shikhagaie