Iraq, Kurdistan. Qandil Mountains
Iraq, Kurdistan. Chwarshakh village
Iraq, Kurdistan. Collecting mulberries in a garden near Halabja
Iran. Marivan. Father and little daughter on Zrebar Lake
Iraq, Kurdistan. Sulaimaniya. "Amna Suraka", the country’s first war-crimes museum
Iran. Hawraman mountains
Iran, the old city of Marivan
Turkey, village of Suttasi. Kinem and her cousin Mehmet
Turkey, Diyarbakir. Little Sarajin on her parents' bed
Iran, Mahabad. Women at the frame
Iran. Ali on the Hawraman mountains
Iran. The village of Saoji at the border with Iraq
What a Pkk guerrilla carries in her bag by Kak Halgurd from Erbil
Iraq, Kurdistan. The freedom beyond the sea by Elian, 9 from Halabja
The place where I would like to live by Mahtab from Iran
Syria, the feminist village of Jinwar. "If I close my eyes I dream a village of sisters". Emira, 33, 5 children
Syria, the feminist village of Jinwar. Nujin's desk
Syria, the feminist village of Jinwar. The husband of Hanan, 22, remarried and took their two children with him
Syria, the feminist village of Jinwar. «From Deir ez-Zor we have brought everything, even the cow»
Iraq, Kurdistan. Sulaimaniya
Iran. Sanandaj. Nowruz Celebrations
Iraq, Kurdistan. Darbandikan Lake
Iran. Kurdish farmer
Iraq, Kurdistan. The mountains surrounding Sulaimaniya
Iraq, Kurdistan. Faris with other peshmerga fighting against Saddam Hussein's regime
Iraq, Kurdistan. When Dilsha was a Pkk fighter
Iraq, Kurdistan. Yadgar's project aims to rebuild family albums destroyed during the genocide campaign Al-Anfal
Iraq, Kurdistan. Yadgar's project aims to rebuild family albums destroyed during the genocide campaign Al-Anfal
Turkey, Istanbul. No! 1 5 0 6 6 0 0 X X X X A poem by Leyla
Syria. Kobane. The flying geese A poem by Rewan
Imaginary Mountains
2014- 2019
Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey
“When I was a child my father taught me to respect the mountains. Waking up in the middle of the night to see the sunrise from the mountaintop seemed, at the time, like pointless suffering. We did not waste time having breakfast because “you don’t eat before going to the mountains,” my father explained. He would put a few pieces of chocolate in my pocket for when I got hungry. Even in summer it was still dark and cold. Along the first part of the path I slept on his shoulders. Halfway up, at first light, I’d jump down and start chattering. My father would remind me to be respectful, “you don’t shout in the mountains.”
Thirst for freedom. Regret. Collective illusion. Long-lasting ambition. Whatever the lens through which one looks into the soul of the Kurdish people, the mountains are the leitmotiv of a narration whose origins are to be traced very far away. Kurdish identity is one that has long been dictated and interpreted through a colonial-political prism, often by countries and powers that have sought to erase the Kurdish narrative altogether. This too had a strong impact on how the Kurds see themselves.
“Imaginary Mountains” is a participative project aiming to document the relationship between the Kurds and the mountains, steering clear of the stereotypes and exoticism that have long characterized this relationship. Kurds are invited to reflect on the mountains, on their value and how they are part of their lives today, as in the past, bringing together drawings, maps, photographs, poems and archive material realized by Kurdish people themselves for the purposes of the project.
selected features
private
selected exhibitions
Centro San Fedele, Milan, Italy 2018
Teatro Miela, Trieste, Italy 2019