An artist from western Iran (Rojhelat) opened a four-day visual arts gallery in Erbil on Sunday under the title “Color, Women, Society.”

“I have been thinking for a long time about opening an exhibition in Erbil one day. I wanted to get acquainted with and befriend the artists of this city up close. Additionally, I wanted to show my art and ideas to the city of Erbil, because this is a new and beneficial experience for me as an artist,” Nasr Daneshvar told Rudaw on Sunday. 

“I wanted the strength of women as well as the oppression they face in society, both historically and currently, to be reflected in my paintings. In my works, both aspects are clearly visible,” Daneshvar added. 

The exhibition features twenty-two paintings of varying sizes, representing the culmination of more than two years of continuous work by the artist.

The paintings in the exhibition are diverse in theme, portraying various dimensions of women's lives. Some works emphasize women's strength and capabilities, while others reflect their fatigue and the crises and barriers they encounter within society.

Daneshvar incorporates elements of Kurdish culture, depicting women in traditional Kurdish attire. 

The opening of the exhibition was held in coordination with Erbil’s general directorate of culture and arts.  

Daneshvar was born in 1981 in the city of Oshnavieh (Shno). He graduated from the College of Fine Arts at Tabriz University in 2005 and has since participated in more than 20 solo and group exhibitions.

Many Kurdish artists from Rojhelat have increasingly turned to the Kurdistan Region to showcase their work, often holding exhibitions and opening galleries in cities like Erbil and Sulaimani.