Bwar Qadir Mohammed – Iraq – Kurdistan Region
Hosna Gallery: it is full of paintings and colorful carvings, but she does not have brushes and paints. Her art supplies are all obtained from people’s waste.
Hosna Mahmoud, nicknamed Hawrami, is from a beautiful mountainous region in the new Iraqi province: Halabja (Kurdistan Region – the farthest northeast of Iraq). It is a relatively familiar name to the world, as it was bombed with banned chemical weapons decades ago, killing thousands of civilians and destroying environmental infrastructure.
In a sacrificial corner of the city, Hosna has opened a gallery showcasing her environmental artworks — a new and attractive model for people. She has turned everything thrown away in the streets and dustbins into masterpieces: a painting of a girl with a bouquet of flowers made from waste fabric, and a calendar made from pieces of water bottle caps and plastic.
“Because of my love for the environment of my city, I thought my art should serve the environment, so all my works are messages for environmentalism” said Hosna Mahmoud (35 years). She specializes in business administration and has not waited for the public sector like thousands of young people but has set up her own business.
In her artwork, she does not use any large or advanced equipment; the majority of the work is fine and handmade. She may work for many hours on a piece, but the same piece cleans the environment of some debris, gives it beauty, and after selling it, becomes an income for Hosna. It is not easy for girls in the area to live on their own income.
Nothing is excess and nothing becomes waste. Whatever exists has the potential to be turned into a work of art — from burnt light bulbs, used clothes, glass, plastic, paper, boards, and other things. None of the waste can be separated from household food waste unless Hosna collects it, and most of it is buried or burned regardless of the damage.
She collects waste herself, searches for it, picks it up in nature or takes to the streets, encourages people not to throw it away so as not to pollute the environment, works on social networks as an environmental guide, spreads awareness, and is an environmental activist.
This article is published in collaboration with Taz Panter as part of the Green Panter project.
