Island Darkroom presents CEARNS, an exhibition featuring the work of award-winning Isle of Lewis photographer Deljeem Rai. This event marks Deljeem Rai's first solo exhibition and his debut showcase on his home island. Deljeem Rai, a Nepali photographer, is currently balancing his studies at the Glasgow School of Art with his home on the Isle of Lewis.
His work has garnered significant recognition, including the British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain Award in 2023 and 2024, and a finalist position in the Scottish Portrait Awards in 2023. His images have been exhibited across Scotland in notable galleries such as the Scottish Art Club in Edinburgh, Kirkcudbright Gallery in Dumfries and Galloway, and The Glasgow Art Club. Through sensitive portraiture and environmental photography, he explores themes of identity, belonging, and community.
Deljeem uses the medium of photography to delve deeper into his experience of living with a dual identity of Nepali and Scottish and reconnecting with his childhood in Nepal, a part of his identity he became disconnected from after arriving in the UK as a teenager. His experience of cross-cultural migration is evidenced in his work which unpacks what it means to belong. This project grew from a desire to explore Deljeem’s connection to and identity within the Cearns, a small housing estate in Stornoway.
Growing up in Nepal gave him a strong national identity and sense of self, a sense that suffered after migrating to Scotland whe.