Huner Emin is a stateless artist from southern Kurdistan. Emin uses art as a tool to express political and social issues in his society. Huner Emin studied western art with a concentration on formalism both in Iraq and the U.S. Join us for this episode as we talk about art school, honor violence, “ayb” culture, thinking in multiple languages, and the importance of having an art community. Nuveen and Huner also talk about their admiration for contemporary artists Hiwa K. and Sarbast Mustafa! Huner also tells us about that one time he did a performance in a mosque… and so much more!
Insta: huneremin
Website: www.huneremin.com
I am a stateless Kurdish artist from south Kurdistan/northern Iraq. My nation is divided among four
different countries. Therefore, I use art as a tool to express political and social problems in my society. I
studied western art, concentrating on formalism, both in Iraq and in the US. However, I am in constant
search for an identity, alternating between western and eastern culture. This parallel thinking was a
pursuit of authenticity that led to my art making process.
I work predominantly on political subject matters. My ideas develop through planning, reorganizing, and
experimenting in various medias. In my conceptual pieces, the audience is juxtaposed between
instillation materials and video art. However, my paintings are combinations of abstract forms and
Pahlavi writing characters, which I want to resurrect in order to unify the Kurdish language(s). It is an
attempt to bring storytelling to the artwork by incorporating calligraphy, as I believe that narrative gives
extra dimension to the art as well as being a symbol rediscovering my identity.
In Kurdish society, life is overwhelmed with politics. Everybody follows news channels on daily basis,
whether in their homes or at the coffee houses. It is hard for me to extract my art from my environment,
where I observed political issues. Involuntarily, I find that my art is forming itself.
Music Credit: Eyaz Yosif
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