I Wanna Be Like Venus

Abdi Ibrahim is a Somali-American director and photographer. Drawn to people in their most natural states, his work is visceral and instinctive, with a visual language that moves fluidly between stills and motion, rooted in reality but never predictable.

Raised in Seattle, his parents East African refugees, Abdi’s filmmaking is shaped by the stories of the people around him, a sensibility that has carried him through global campaigns for Lacoste, the NFL, and Lexus. His photography has been featured in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Esquire.