Vahid Valikhani with Nebraska, Tampa

We love seeing what our midwest nice artists are up to! We’re excited to share the publication of Vahid Valikhani’s first monograph, Nebraska, Tampa: The Return to the Streets ✨ vahid was featured in our archive the west exhibition. Vahid says of his work:

Nebraska, Tampa: The Return to the Streets focuses on images from Tampa, Florida. It is bilingual and includes two texts. I explore the idea of “positionality” and reflect on my experiences as a photographer of color making direct/straight photography in the U.S., in a southern state, in the years following the travel ban. The second text, by photography critic and professor Zanyar Boloury, offers a concise overview of American photographic traditions before turning to the project itself, analyzing the work in relation to my background.

Vahid Valikhani is a photographer and documentary filmmaker and serves as Director of the Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery at the University of Dallas. His creative practice examines environmental and social conditions across both familiar and unfamiliar landscapes. Through the integration of landscape and portraiture, he explores how representations of place and people collectively construct meaning, illuminating the cultural and political forces that shape one another. He is the author of the monograph Nebraska, Tampa: The Return to the Streets (Tavaali Publication, 2025). His work has been exhibited internationally in Germany, Italy, Iran, and the United States.

The monograph will be available at Uncle Bob’s Photo Zine & Book Market at Silver Street Studios as part of the FotoFest 2026 Biennial in April in Houston, or contact Vahid at vahid.valikhani@gmail.com.