av û nan hevpar e di nav me de
Êvar Hussayni
Artist + Archivist
The WANAWAL
The West Asian and North African Women’s Art Library (WANAWAL), founded by Êvar in 2019, is an alternative archival practice and library. This project challenges traditional methodologies of archiving, prioritising experimental and anti-colonial research methods and systems. Embracing the concept of 'slowness,' the WANAWAL resists capitalistic and hierarchical systems, aiming to create an open-source and publicly accessible library and archive that innovatively catalogs and preserves the creative contributions of practitioners from West Asia and North Africa. By questioning the dynamics of archiving, WANAWAL seeks to reshape narratives and dismantle the impact of colonial practices on collective memory.
The West Asian and North African Women’s Art Library (WANAWAL), founded by Êvar in 2019, is an alternative archival practice and library. This project challenges traditional methodologies of archiving, prioritising experimental and anti-colonial research methods and systems. Embracing the concept of 'slowness,' the WANAWAL resists capitalistic and hierarchical systems, aiming to create an open-source and publicly accessible library and archive that innovatively catalogs and preserves the creative contributions of practitioners from West Asia and North Africa. By questioning the dynamics of archiving, WANAWAL seeks to reshape narratives and dismantle the impact of colonial practices on collective memory.
Êvar Hussayni 2024 Copyright © All rights reserved.
Êvar’s personal multi-disciplinary practice focuses on Kurdish genealogies, colonial violence in archives and their relationship with the trajectory of Kurdish feminism and Kurdish womanhood. In her analysis of archives, she investigates the psychological impact of the archived material; how might archives perpetuate violent histories? What role does archiving play in shaping freedom - specifically that of occupied people and lands? How far does the current archive privilege particular narratives and create bias in the collective memory? Through broadening the range of methodologies she employs in her work, Êvar’s endeavour is to assess the implications of archival structures for Kurdish women’s identity formation.
Work
Yalla werin rûnin û bixwin!
Chewing, Swallowing Part 1 + 2
Tama xwînê ji ava hinaran te / The Fruit of the Dead Tastes of Blood
my mum, my aunt
Kurdistanê
Cries of Inanna
“av û nan hevpar e di nav me de, tu xwişka min î û ez xwişka te me” (water and bread split between us - you are my sister and i am your sister)
Three Kurdish women
Kurdish Girls Swimming
TEXTS