Kurdshop_ An exhibition named KRDSTN = 2+2 was held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
At the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne which led to Kurdistan land’s disuniting into 4 parts and several genocide incidents which made Kurds suffer a great deal for a long time, an art exhibition was held to take people’s attention. This exhibition began on April 28th and will end on May 19th.
The Lausanne committee have held several meetings, panels, and intellectual gatherings in November as actions on the occasion of the 100th year of the Lausanne treaty. Within Lausanne’s 100th Anniversary Commemoration, an art exhibition was also held. A large number of Kurdish artists from all four parts of Kurdistan, and artists from European countries like Germany and Italy have presented their works during this occasion.
The KRDSTN 2+2 exhibition was held in the Forum de l’Hotel de Ville and it will continue until May 19th. At the beginning of the exhibition Davit Payot, the City Council member said that the Treaty of Lausanne’s role in dividing Kurdistan into 4 parts had severe consequences for the Kurds that continue to this day.
Sevgi Kuyuncu, Lausanne Municipality Council member also said: "It is important for the people of Lausanne to know about the Treaty because it deprived millions of people of the opportunity to live freely in their ancestral lands. The Kurdish people, my people paid the worst consequences of this treaty. This treaty resulted in the death and expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people over 100 years. In this sense, this exhibition is very important for the people of Lausanne to know the consequences of this agreement for the Kurds and other minorities and the demands of the Kurds today."
The head committee of this exhibition includes Baris Seyid Khan and Serdar Mutlu, the exhibition features works by Osman Ahmed, Havin Al-Sindy, Havar Amini, Vooria Aria, Khadija Baker, Savaş Boyraz, Wirya Budaghi, Timur Çelik, Salah Ebrahimi, Serhat Ertuna, Jacopo Gallico, Fatoş Irwen, Eren Karakuş, Serpil Odabaşı, Walid Siti, Hito Steyerl, Leyla Toprak.
During the exhibition one of the heads of the committee, Sardar Mutlu said that for 100 years, due to the Treaty of Lausanne, ethnic and cultural genocide, exile, and deportation of a large number of people under the slogan of one language, one nation, one flag has been committed against Kurds. In this exhibition, historians, artists, and activists have emphasized the false application of the Treaty of Lausanne in the past century. They wish to document the events that have happened during this time and keep them vivacious. He also mentioned: “We try to use this exhibition to show that art can play a role in documenting and reestablishing the social memoirs.”
Sardar Mutlu also talked about the name of the exhibition: KRDSTN= 2+2, this title has been chosen from the words of one of our Kurdish leaders in contemporary history, Qazi Mohammad; that in this place there are two “R”s for Rojhalat and Rojava (the East and West parts of Kurdistan) and two “B”s for Bakour and Bashour (the North and South parts of Kurdistan).
