Zaidan, Double vision

Double Vision is collection of poems and art by the writer Ahmed Zaidan and illustrator Jenita Martikainen. The collection came to be as the two met accidentally and started talking about art. This collection shows Ahmed Zaidan further developing a unique poetic voice on the Finnish poetry scene via his willingness to interact creatively with new cultures and imaginative collaboration. The creative work was done separately during the Covid-19 lock down. First Ahmed sent Jenita the poems and then Jenita drew according to what inspired her having read the poems. The bright and lively illustrations were done using used mixed media: pencil, coloured pencil and watercolours. Ahmed Zaidan (b. 1988) is a Turku based poet and journalist from Iraq, who migrated to Finland in 2013. He worked as a research assistant at MIF. He has worked as a full-time writer on a book based on artistic research and has been awarded twice the prize of Creative Writings at University of Mosul. Zaidan's works have been published in Arabic, German, Finnish and English. Jenita Martikainen (b. 1996) has studied Finnish history at the University of Turku. Double Vision is her debut publication. Pamphlet, stapled. 44 pages, coloured illustrations.