Yasmin Yassin is a Somali photographer/director based in Minneapolis, MN. We came across her work independently when we were looking for a photographer, for the Hufan story. But by kismet, Amina Isir (the writer) suggested her to photograph the story. She graciously shot the story on Hufan for us for Issue 04.
Yasmin beautifully explores subcultures and how people come together to form networks of connection. Her goal is to tell stories as authentically as possible to their essence, with integrity towards those that invite her into their lives, in the tradition of her East African oral-storytelling heritage.
We asked Yasmin to share some images and words about Minneapolis.
Minneapolis is a city of neighbors. Neighbors with stories. I joke a lot that it’s really a small town sometimes disguised as a bigger city, we really do know one another. In times of resilience like this, this small town feel is what makes it truly a special place.
I write so many visual love letters to this place. It’s a city that took me in as a naive scientist who wasn’t too sure about her art, and continues to challenge and inspire me to this day.
One thing that makes us so cool and I think the world is seeing now (and again), is how on a larger scale, we really are connected and resilient on a smaller level. From city to neighborhood level too. Neighbors helping neighbors, and our individual stories reflected above and beyond. It’s kind of fractal in a way. And that’s why I love it here.
Peel back the layers of this city, and there’s always another interesting story to tell.
Yasmin has a new short film debuting called “Woman Land” about two Somali-American sisters who run a secret matchmaking service who navigate cultural expectations with their ambition.
Set against the backdrop of a Minneapolis winter, the film explores topics around the expectations around tradition, the tug-of-war between parental pressure and that of society amongst young women finding their own voice in the modern digital age.
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Finding Home at Hufan
