In the midst of the first parliamentary elections since the defeat of ISIS, with tangled up political flags strewn across the streets and power lines, youth in Sulaymaniyah (Iraq) helped aptART and Pat Perry craft a message that lifts up the city’s notorious history as the region’s center of protest, of poets, and the outcry of human voices, despite intervals of violent persecution.
About The Mural
Sulaymaniyah is known as the capital of enlightenment among the Kurds, but the official nickname of the city on national level is the bride of Iraq’s cities.
Founded in 1784, Sulaymaniyah has always been a center of great poets, writers, historians, politicians, scholars and singers.
To celebrate these great poets and writers, Pat Perry enlisted the help of kids from both Syrian refugee and Kurdish communities to paint flags across the wall with their own expressions of peace and tolerance, before painting his stunning mural titled “City of Poets,” in the hopes of making a permanent public reminder that all voices and opinions are worthy of consideration with adequate and thoughtful regard. This project was implemented in with collaboration with UNHCR.
About Pat Perry
Born in Michigan, Pat Perry is an artist that bases his work and illustrations on subtle details that reveal everyday encounters one might pass by and not think twice about. He brilliantly portrays unique and confusingly accurate observations to the surrounding world. As a prolific creator, many of his pictorials are inspired by his love for travel, experiencing new cultures and what he’s encountered along the way. A vital part of his process is the dedication to draw and paint on a daily basis. Which as an adventurer, he continues to cultivate spectacular imagery with his keen perspective.
About aptART
Awareness and Prevention through Art (aptART) is an organization of artists and activists dedicated to sharing artistic experiences with conflict-affected and marginalized youth throughout the world. AptART coordinates workshops for youth that result in large-scale public art in countries such as Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Turkey, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique.
In collaboration with local and international organizations operating on location, artists and activists coordinate workshops with youth from different communities. The workshops culminate in large-scale public art as well as individual pieces. The workshops and art focus on issues affecting communities with messages of positivity and hope.
Pat Perry: website | facebook | instagram
aptART: website | facebook | instagram | twitter
