Art and Literature

Iraqi-Kurdish artist Hiwa K was born in Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) in 1975. His early studies focussed on European literature and philosophy, learnt from available books translated into Arabic. Emigrating to Germany 20 years ago, Hiwa K…

It is an artist’s responsibility to expose and unveil hidden truths. The artist must comment on, criticise, raise questions and above all, take risks that challenge norms, deconstruct societal structures, and ignite debates. These are…

By Zhawen Shali The girls of my village Were sizzling the sunflower seeds Because of the disappearance of the sun They were taking empty pots to the spring water And narrating the decisiveness of water to the water And used to get…

Non-place Manifesto By: Dr.  Massoud Binandeh Sine, November, 2016. Human beings have thrown into the world, and this thrownness has directed our life towards discovering the residence of language and the rootlessness of discourse,…

(Love)  poem by Nazand Begikhani  Two solitudes walk by Two solitudes look at each other Two solitudes smile at each other Two solitudes sit together Two solitudes talk Two solitudes touch each other Two solitudes cuddle each other…

By Dr. Kamal Solayemani August 5th, 2013 Tonight in my journey In my past, In my memory, In my words, In every word, roars, in our collective cries, I saw you Alive, undying and eternal As I was roaming On the mountain top Flying…

By Kamal Soleimani A candle! Twinkling in the darkest night, Stands the burning cold, Enlightens Boosts the warmth of being Defying the darkening night A night, Has marshaled its forces, Against the tiniest remaining light *** The…

On the 27th of August 2016 an exhibition by artist Sahira Ismail entitled ‘a house made of Rags’ was launched. Hosted at the museum of Sulaymania, the exhibition contained fourteen unique abstract works of art typically collage in form and…

15th of January 2017 was not an ordinary day in the city of Sulaymania, Iraqi Kurdistan. This day was special because an extraordinary work of art was installed on a public wall. The work of art, installed on the main wall in Reaya hill,…

Between 7th and 11th of January 2017, works by three artists were exhibited in a tumbledown house opposite the Red Security prison in the city of Sulaymani, Kurdistan. The exhibition contained works of art by Naz Hakim, Zamowa Dara-Agha and…

Wafaye House, in Hawler, Kurdistan, hosted an evening event on the 13th of January 2017 for the poet, writer and member of Culture Project, Dastan Barzan. Born in the city of Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Dastan is noted for his various…

Avan Omar My career as an artist began once I started drawing, and I soon came to understand the importance of my being metamorphosing into some form of physical act. However, working within the confines of my own art atelier in my home,…

Bakhtiar Rasheed American novelist and academic Alison Lurie (1926- ) brought fairy tales and their gender implications into the social foreground in the early 1970s. Lurie believes the female characters in fairy tales are quintessentially…

Zhiwar Jawhar The society in which we live has been shaped by fairy tales and historical, mythical, and religious stories. These fairy tales and stories reinforce stereotypes, and these stereotypes often substantiate and even engender…

Bayan Salman, the Kurdish novelist, poet and essayist won Andesha’s prestigious award for Novelist of the Year. Salman was awarded this prize during Andesha’s fourth Festival of literature in the city of Sulaymania, Kurdistan. Andesha is an…

The duration of the Gailan Abdullah’s video performance is three minutes and fifteen seconds, and it is broadcast on two different screens. In the video performance ‘Curse’, which was produced in Paris in 2014, Gailan Abdullah aims to…