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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The German city of Bonn is holding a festival highlighting the culture and art of Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish city in northern Syria.
The Afrin Art Festival serves as a platform for Kurdish artists to connect, collaborate, and introduce themselves to German and European audiences.
Sculptor Zhyan Saeed is presenting her latest works in which she tried out new materials. She explained to Rudaw that due to health issues affecting her hands, she has been unable to work in her usual medium—stone. This limitation, however, led her to an innovative artistic experiment.
“This year I tried something new, because I could not use stone, because of a health issue I had in my hands. It was difficult to use stone in my artwork,” she said. “I created a new material made from paper paste. It’s something other artists have used before, but everyone has their own way of preparing it. When it dries, it becomes very strong and durable—it can even be used to make furniture.”
In the pieces on display in Bonn, Saeed has explored the relationship between humankind, the earth, and the sky.
The three-day festival began on Saturday.
Afrin, is a predominantly Kurdish city in northwest Syria. In 2018, Syrian militia groups backed by Turkey seized control of the enclave. Thousands of people fled their homes and most are still residing in the nearby Shahba region.
International organizations have documented numerous human rights violations committed by armed groups against Afrin’s remaining Kurdish population.
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