Tashy Risten

Harem was born in Halabja in 1986. Currently, he lives in British Columbia, Canada. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan, he completed the Master Teacher Trainer Program at Birmingham College in Erbil, Kurdistan, and he worked as a teacher in the Educational Development Institute of Kurdistan. Harem is a distinct member of Kurdistan’s art syndicate. He has showcased his original work in over 30 exhibitions, including 6 solo shows. Even though he paints the beauty of Kurdish culture and tries to show the happy side of life, but lots of his paintings, deal with victims and especially children from war-torn places. Children who have fled terrible things, been displaced from the normal lives that I feel everyone should be entitled to. Also, they are paintings of his childhood memories. Right now he feels compelled to show what he has been through, to exorcise all these thoughts, and try to tell people what it is like firsthand to be displaced by war.