“I deemed it essential to build a modern statue for the deceased poet, Sherko Bekas. I drew some different photos of Bekas a few months ago. Then the idea of making a different statue crossed my mind,” Wushyar Saeed, an artist, told Rudaw.
Saeed said that the statue is in its final stages of completion.
“I have used a new style which is mosaic. The size of the statue is one meter and 50 centimeters, which is a concrete of fiber class. The work is sponsored by Sulaimani’s directorate general of culture and art.
Sherko Bekas is the son of the renowned Kurdish poet Fayeq Bekas. Sherko Bekas was born on May 2, 1940, in Sulaimani. He died of cancer in Stockholm on August 4, 2013. He was buried where he wanted, Azadi Park in the city of Sulaimani.
He is considered to be a contemporary Kurdish poet. He penned numerous poetry books. Many of his poems have been translated into different languages.
He was given Tokholski Award in Sweden in 1987. The award was presented to him by then Swedish Prime Minister Egvar Carlson.
He was appointed minister of culture of the first Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet in 1992. He founded Sardam Publishing in 1998. He consolidated and published all his work, 8,000 pages, in 2009.
