Payam Feili

This is a series of portraits of Payam Feili, an Iranian poet, activist and writer who fled to Israel for asylum.

Payam is an openly gay poet from Iran who has escaped to Israel by way of Turkey. The photographs of him were taken in a Tel Aviv bar, a typical scene for a member of Israel’s strong and lively LGBTQ community, where Payam is now not just accepted, but well known and well liked.

Get to know Payam through this series of portraits that capture his beautiful, friendly personality, and the mixture of cultures and subcultures he wears: from the blue nail polish on his fingernails to the Star of David tattoo on his neck.