About

Laila Nahar is a lens-based artist and book-maker in California, USA. She lived her life in stark cultural contrast, born and brought up in Bangladesh and eventually migrated to US in her late 20’s for pursuing higher studies in Engineering. Laila recently retired from the high-tech industry after 24 years to devote full-time for the passion of her life as a photo and book artist.

Laila is primarily a self-taught photographer and book-artist exploring belonging, memory, cultural and collective identity. She took documentary classes with Eugene Richards, Frank Espada, Amy Arbus, Keith Carter, Nevada Wier and Emin Ozmen (Magnum). Lately, she has become increasingly fascinated with hand-made photo book making and attended workshops with Elizabeth Avedon, Void Impromptu (Publisher), Melanie McWhorter, Center of Book Arts in NYC, Yumi Goto and Susan Kae Grant. 

Laila attended CODEX 2024 with seven of her handmade Artist photobook in 2024. Her handmade Artist photobook 'Will you come to Rome with me?' selected for the DUMMY AWARD24 shortlist; also top 10 finalist in Athens Photo Festival 24. Her project ‘Unfolding: Color of Life - Old Delhi' handmade artist photobook has been selected for the ‘13th Annual Self-Published PhotoBook Show' (Nov-Feb23) in Davis Orton Gallery and Griffin Museum of Photography. 'Unfolding' also selected as one of best 55 photobooks in 2022 by Women and non-binary photographers on TheLuupe.com. Recently, it was selected as Honorable mention in "Back on the Shelf" FilterPhoto Book exhibition (Feb-Mar23) in Chicago. ‘I Have Been Here Before’ handmade photobook was selected for the ‘12th Annual Self-Published PhotoBook Show’ in Davis Orton Gallery and Griffin Museum of Photography (Feb22). This had been shortlisted in the Independent Category Lucie Photo Book Prize 2022; also, was reviewed in PhotoBook Journal and Thinkingaboutphoto. 'Living With The Tides’ project is featured in the Inside-the-Outside magazine (Jan 2022).

Laila had solo exhibitions from ‘Memories from Bangladesh’ series in Steps Gallery (Arizona) and Nelson Gallery (California). Photographs from this series are in permanent collections of ASU and UCDavis photography Museums. Laila’s handmade artist photo books are in permanent collections of several University libraries including The Fleet Library, Rhode Island School of Design, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Virginia, University of Colorado Libraries, Boulder and Museum of Fine Arts (Houston). Photographs by Laila has been displayed in several group exhibitions by Viewpoint Gallery, UC Berkeley, PH21, PhotoPlace, Griffin Museum of Photography, curatedfridge.