Sulaymaniyah - Kurdish painter Naz Elî Ewal has held a two-week exhibition entitled, “Şahmeran li baxê Sewan (English: Shahmaran in the garden of Sewan)” in Sulaymaniyah. 30 paintings have been displayed at the exhibition. In her paintings, the painter draws attention to the beauties of Kurdistan's forests and the attacks on them.

Speaking to NuJINHA about the exhibition, Naz Elî Ewal said, “Shahmaran is a Kurdish word. She is the goddess of science and women. The Kurdish people used to believe in her. Since she was sacred for the Kurdish people, Shahmaran paintings were hung on walls in every house. I did not use Shahmaran as a symbol; I wanted to show the real meaning of Shahmaran. I wanted to show the faith of the Kurds.”

Beauties of Kurdistan

Stating that she worked for about three years in order to complete her paintings, Naz Elî Ewal said, “All paintings are not about Shahmaran. Some paintings are about different issues. Some paintings draw attention to the beauties of the nature of Kurdistan. Trees, mountains and valleys are the friends of the Kurdish people. The mountains and trees of Kurdistan make us happy. However, we see how our trees are cut down, stolen and burned down every day. They want to destroy our forests.”

The Kurds’ love of colors

Underlining that she loves painting, Naz Elî Ewal said, “I never determine when my paintings will be completed. We, as Kurds, love colors. Our traditional clothes show how we love colors.”