Painter · b. 1991, East Kurdistan
Painting as a quiet insistence — on women, memory, and the weight of being.
Collections
I
After graduating from the College of Fine Arts, I sought to convey myself more freely. As a young woman dissatisfied with my living conditions and society's attitude towards women, I aimed to express my frustration with the injustices of life and people. Ignoring all academic rules and regulations, I focused solely on expressing what was in my heart.
II
There is a shelter in different cities of the Kurdistan region that protects women threatened by their families. In 2018, I asked the shelter's administration for permission to stay with the women living there. I wanted to learn more about their suffering and collaborate with them on a series of paintings that might help heal some of their wounds. I was not granted permission. A year later, I decided to create the paintings myself — to convey the pain these women carry.
III
These paintings explore the feelings and identity of women, particularly Kurdish women. They are named for Hewrî, the traditional dress worn by Kurdish women. The inspiration came from my desire to honor my mother, who has always supported me to be myself. Many of my childhood memories feature her wearing this dress. When it grew worn and she wanted to discard it, I kept it and carried it into my figures — because anything that remains with someone for a long time becomes part of them, carrying a piece of their soul.
IV
These works depict personal experience. At this stage, I am examining my identity — I think of them as existential, emphasizing self-analysis within a complex and often inscrutable worldview. The recurring themes are fear, anxiety, alienation, inheritance, the meaninglessness of life, the emptiness within human existence, and the individual's position in the world.
V
After the death of Zhina Amini at the hands of the Islamic Republic, my work was profoundly shaped by this tragedy. Women's freedom has become a more prominent theme in my art. The protests and their aftermath have moved me to make paintings that answer the situation, and the ongoing struggle for women's rights.
VI
The pain of leaving a fantastical childhood for the chaotic world of adulthood had always made me doubt bringing an innocent human being into existence. Still, I made the selfish decision to know the pure joy and love of motherhood. With my son's birth, the old me died and was reborn in the moment I first held him. A fragile part of me has felt separated from my former self ever since — and these paintings are my attempt to hold that ambivalence steady.
About
Born in 1991 in East Kurdistan (Iran), Hero Shekhe emerged from a rich cultural tapestry woven with the threads of literature and storytelling. Growing up in a nation with a storied legacy of women's resistance and struggle for freedom and gender equality, her art is deeply reflective of her societal experience and personal journey.
From a young age, Shekhe displayed a vivid imagination, nurtured by a home filled with books and narratives that shaped her worldview. Her teenage years were marked by a critical awareness of the conditions women faced in her society — an awareness that evolved into a passionate critique. She found her voice through painting, a medium she believes is most suited to express her concerns and aspirations in a peaceful yet powerful way.
Her paintings are not just expressions of personal introspection but a platform to question the pervasive violence against women and to raise awareness about their rights.
CV
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