In Nazar Yahya's latest solo exhibition at Wade Wilson Art, presented in conjunction with FotoFest 2014, the Iraqi artist presents photographic prints that convey the story of the Islamic mystic poet Mansur al-Hallaj. Yahya utilizes collage elements to shape photographic prints into a story of a universal, divine light transcending distance, time and culture.

The exhibit features meticulously staged photographs and sculpture stemming from the pages of the artist's sketchbook. Yahya weaves together elements from disparate sources to convey timeless connection and truth. Yahya strives to capture visually the same concept of "oneness" that al-Hallaj sought, but for which he was tragically executed after claiming, "I am Truth."

Yahya was born and raised in Baghdad. Yahya started his path in being an artist as an illustrator for children's magazines in the early 1980s, while he was still in high school. He then pursued his art education and graduated from the painting department at the Academy of Fine Arts, Baghdad, in 1987. In 2008, the artist moved to Houston with his family to start a new life.