CEMO
Art; an aesthetic activity that has reached a stage of independence and influence from preceding activities
despite taking them as the base for new works of art in the course of history, initially imitating such
foundations, which is the consequence of the activity’s continuous nature of internal equilibrium
and external interactions that is the most advanced-perfectible product and ability of humans.
Artistic activity; an attitude of rebellion against the status quo and destiny that is characterised as a passive particular of a given segment in human existence.
Process of artistic production; an attempt to reach a degree of influential subjectivity in human existence,
bringing down the walls of the status quo in the process of universalization, which is brought about
by the inner storm of the individual at a point in which they enter a process of influence and art is
presented to them as a delightful means of creativity to express their common emotions and thoughts
and become the denominator. The individual, far from being consumed during their lifetime, on the
contrary, is now a conscious person.
Art; a form of love lived with the external world by the individual; unlimited in space, indefinite in time, extraordinary and plural. And this love, a work of art, is constituted by endless questions directed at humanity’s complicated mechanisms, their existence and resources.
Art is pursuit; a quest of breathless effort to leave behind traces and legacies in the mortal world.
Art is a stance; during human oppression within the social relations, it stands on the side of peace against war, equality and justice against exploitation, democracy and freedom against dictatorship and enslavement, environment against global warming, on the side of the good, truth and beauty.
We are the forced but volunteer captives of colours, which is an indispensable condition for an observable and meaningful existence; heat is yellow and cold is white, war is red, and peace is white, the sea blue and mainland green, birth is red and sorrow is black, smiles are white, happiness blue and limitless…
Artisans are the volunteer labourers of smiles and happiness. Art is compassion; and compassion, it is giving and sharing, the most value asset of humans. I present my compassion with you, knitted with rainbow.
CEMO
28.10.2008
Artist Statement
I am a British artist of Kurdish origin whose practice explores the intersection of painting, history, politics and memory. I came to the United Kingdom from Kurdistan as a political refugee in December 2006 and later studied Fine Art at Middlesex University. My experience of displacement, together with my cultural and political background, continues to inform my artistic practice.
I use painting as both a visual language and a form of historical testimony. My work responds particularly to the political realities of Kurdistan and the wider Middle East, while addressing broader questions of power, identity, displacement, violence and social injustice. I am interested in how political events are represented, remembered and transmitted, particularly when experiences are overlooked, distorted or excluded from dominant narratives.
I work primarily with oil and acrylic on canvas, combining figurative, narrative, realistic, semi-surrealist, symbolic and expressionist approaches. I regard these not as fixed styles but as different means of developing an evolving visual language. Through experimentation with colour, composition, brushwork, symbolism and distortion, I move between documentary representation and psychological interpretation.
For me, political painting is not simply propaganda. It can be a critical space for questioning power and challenging established narratives. Rather than illustrating events literally, I transform them through painting into images that hold historical, emotional and symbolic meaning. My paintings exist between evidence and imagination, reality and memory, the individual and the collective.
Ultimately, I seek to create paintings that engage both aesthetically and intellectually: works that respond to the present while becoming traces of their historical moment. Through this practice, I aim to preserve experiences, question dominant narratives and invite viewers to reflect on the human consequences of political and social conditions.