SARA ŞÊX HESEN

Aleppo- 14-year-old painter Xelil Hiso was born in the Çeqela village of Afrin, into an artistic family. After the attacks on Afrin in 2018, his family was forcibly displaced from Afrin to the Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood of Aleppo. His sister is a singer while his brother is a pianist. Xelil Hiso paints mostly about women, nature, mothers, and Afrin. His paintings displayed at an art exhibition held in Aleppo have attracted the great attention of art lovers.

He paints his dreams

Expressing his love for Afrin, Xelil Hiso said, “When Afrin was occupied, we first went to Shehba and then settled in Aleppo. I continued my Kurdish education and started to take courses organized by the art institute in Aleppo. After taking the painting courses at the institute, I started to take painting courses at the Cemil Horo Culture and Art Center. I improved my skills in painting. I had great times in Afrin and I miss Afrin very much now. I try to paint my dreams.”

“My biggest supporters are my mother and teacher”

“Before painting, I imagine what kind of life I want, and then I paint my dreams on paper. Completing my paintings sometimes takes three days or six days. My biggest supporter is my mother. My teacher also supports me to improve my skills,” Xelil Hiso told NuJINHA. 

He is a member of the culture center

Xelil Hiso began to paint when he was four years old and he improved his skills in time. “I paint mostly about the efforts of mothers and women because mothers play an important role in raising us. My friends love my paintings and the people of the culture center also like my paintings. I am now a member of the Cemil Horo Culture and Art Center.”

Call on children

Xelil Hiso called on his peers to “not waste their time. They should listen to their parents. They can paint, write poems or sing songs but they shouldn’t waste their time.”