REDEMPTION AND FREEDOM

“Don’t stop dreaming just because you had a nightmare and don’t stop feeling just because they hurt you,” sings ENIS in the opening lines of ‘Lavender garden’, the song from his debut EP ‘E01 demo collection’.

For the young Kurdish-Danish alt-R&B artist, his new body of work is a form of facing the demons of the past – the negligence and mental abuse coming from his ultra-conservative family who didn’t accept his queer identity growing up, leading him to run away from home at the age of sixteen, and the deep heartbreak coming from the toxicity of his recent romantic relationship.

The songs on the record became the hymns of redemption, symbolizing the beginning of his road to the freer version of himself. The sense of healing is further explored in the visuals created to accompany the sound – made in collaboration with Italian director-photographer, Leonardo Casalini.

Ahead of the EP’s release, ENIS met up with photographer Steve Marais in Berlin to work together on an intimate series of photographs titled ‘tired feet’ - you can see its exclusive selection below.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

---

Words by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Steve Marais