WEYA+

Following World Event Young Artists 2012, WEYA+ was organised to celebrate the work of Kurdish artists. This event was organised predominantly to showcase the work of 4 Kurdish performers that were unable to obtain their visas in time to take part in the main WEYA festival in September.

This event was organised in partnership with New Art Exchange in October and showcased photography (Gaylan Nazhad), sculpture (Shaxawan Hama), performance (Sulaimany Actor Studio), poetry & music (Sara Omar) from some of Kurdistan’s most promising artists.

The Sulaimany Actor Studio presented In a Cultural No Man’s Land. This performance was about how culture impacts on individuals physically and emotionally during their life. It also tackles how religion and traditional beliefs change thinking about homeland culture and identity.

During the event, a translated discussion with the artists was held and addressed some of the challenges that the Kurdish artists face in developing their work in their own country. It became apparent that there is no formal structure in Kurdistan to support artists and this makes their work even more significant.

One audience member commented that “The Kurdish theatre group was very good, although the subject matter was disturbing”.