ZEHRA DOGAN

ZEHRA DOGAN

LIFE

PRISON N°5

LIBERTY OF ART

"HALEPCE"

PORTRAIT

Who is Zehra Dogan?

Zehra Doğan is a Kurdish artist, activist and journalist who has attracted international attention for his courage in documenting sensitive issues concerning the political and social conditions of the Kurds, highlighting human rights violations and the injustices suffered by the Kurdish population. Her passion for investigative journalism has combined with her artistic talent, turning his art into a form of protest and denunciation of injustice. In 2016 she was sentenced to three years imprisonment for the crime of "propaganda for a terrorist organization" because of a drawing depicting the Kurdish city of Nusaybin after the bombing of the Turkish army, published in a Kurdish newspaper and then posted on Twitter. For almost three years Zehra remained in prison, in the number 5 prison in Diyarbakir. Despite the lack of material, he continues to draw by smuggling his works out of prison. To make them she makes use of everything he had available: leftovers of food, hair, tea, coffee and menstrual blood. She painted on paper, on small pieces of fabric using improvised brushes or even fingers.

Prison N°5

This book for her is the result of a work that has transformed almost three years of imprisonment, resistance and struggle, in testimony. Prison number five, it’s a diary from the prison, his testimony and a form of resistance, written during the time the cities were besieged. He would draw on a tablet and send the boards to a friend if he later erased them so that he would not have them in case of arrest. However, the project was not finished because Zehra was arrested and imprisoned. Drawing is his way of expressing himself. However, "entertainment" material, including art, was forbidden during imprisonment. Zehra has been looking for alternative means since the first days. She managed to turn everyday materials into raw materials using newspaper pages, sheets, old clothes and pillowcases. Everything that could provide the colors became paint, from the sauce of dishes, coffee, turmeric, juice of pomegranate peel. Menstrual blood, too. Mr Dogan also wishes to explain the current situation in Turkey. A single sentence, sometimes taken out of context, can be used against you. Hundreds of journalists are imprisoned and arrested under the pretext of terrorism charges, and thousands of people are prosecuted for their comments on social media. Zehra in the past also received international awards as a sign of the struggle and commitment in the struggle for women’s emancipation.

Free Zehra!!!

The situation of women in the world is a constant struggle. Discrimination is just one of the challenges they face. In Syria, women are at the forefront of the resistance, leading a revolution in the Middle East. Elsewhere in the world women are always fighting for their rights. During her imprisonment, Zehra had a positive thought: "We will also have good days". This gave her hope. Even the simplest daily actions, such as wake-up calls and meals,had a sense of oppression. She tells how knowing the past is crucial to understand the present. The roots of current oppression extend into the past, and understanding the history of women and the oppressed is crucial to building a better future. Prison N° 5, with what she calls "The Amed Jail",became the symbol of a brutality that marked history. Political opponents have suffered torture, but this oppression has also led to a great resistance that has marked history. During her imprisonment, she used unusual materials for her artwork, including her menstrual blood:she made a drawing using her menstrual blood as a form of protest. This act was also a denunciation of the inhuman conditions of women in prisons. Freedom for her is not simply "doing what you want", but being able to say "no" and be yourself. Poetry played a key role in the resistance,in prison,it represented a way to express emotions.The poems inspired not only her, but also other prisoners.

Art to denounce!

Zehra Doğan is best known for her artwork, which often addresses social and political issues, in particular the Kurdish-Turkish conflict and the human rights situation in Turkey. In her drawings, art acquires a liberating power that allows her to escape and makes her stay in prison lighter, sending a message of where there is hope even in those gray and dark cells, she says: "We will also have better days." One of her most famous works is "Halepçe", a painting depicting the Halabja massacre during the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, an event considered one of the most serious chemical weapons attacks against civilians in modern history. In the portrait, Zehra Doğan uses her distinctive technique and vivid colors to depict the chaos and agony of the victims, as well as using symbols and metaphors to convey her message. In fact, those of Dogan is an art of denunciation and resistance, and at the contemporary time, it has a strongly intimate, autobiographical and delicately feminine dimension. Her art not only documents the tragedy, but also invites observers to reflect on the devastating consequences of war and the importance of peace and justice.

Portrait

THANKS FOR THE ATTENTION!

Francesca CalceFederica Aprea Desirèe Perrino Teresa Iannone Marika Russo

The Halabja massacre occurred on March 16, 1988, during the Iran-Iraq war. Chemical weapons were used by the Iraqi army in the city of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan, causing between 3,200 and 5,000 deaths and between 7,000 and 10,000 injuries.

This is a replica I made of one of her works, “(Diyarbakır, Kurdistan, 1989) Kurdistan 3, 2020”, I chose this particular work because of the uniqueness it holds. To replicate it I did it digitally using an iPad. It made me feel a sense of anguish, with how it’s portrayed, the shadows, the position.

"Kurdistan 3" is one of his works that reflects the political and social situation of Kurdistan. Her art often explores the Kurdish identity, the struggle for independence and political repression that the Kurds face in the different countries in which they live. The work is characterized by a strong emotional expression, vibrant colors and strong symbolic elements that reflect the complexity of the political and social situation of the Kurdish people.