Coinciding with the Nowruz celebrations in March 2026, Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), and the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F) organized an art exhibition called “365” in Strasbourg, France. The exhibit featured works by Hero Shekha, a contemporary Kurdish visual artist from Iran whose work reflects the cultural memory and human experience of the Kurdish people.
Shekha’s artistic career spans over 17 years, during which she has explored themes of identity, social justice, and women’s resistance. She has participated in both solo and group exhibitions locally and internationally. The exhibition features 365 frames, each wrapped in red tulle and containing images and texts that express the duality of absence and presence; every frame represents a life, and every day holds a memory.
The exhibition draws its symbolism from Kurdish cultural heritage, where photographs of the martyrs are draped in red tulle in homes, not to hide their faces, but to honor them and affirm their ongoing presence.
In early January 2026, widespread protests broke out across Iran, condemning injustice and demanding freedom and citizens’ rights. On 8 and 9 January, hundreds of Kurdish civilians were killed by gunfire from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in incidents described by human rights organizations as a systematic use of lethal force against civilians.
This exhibition falls within a broader context of violations affecting civilians across various regions, focusing on documenting these events in the context of protests. It is organized as part of the three organizations’ collaborative efforts to document abuses and highlight the human stories of victims, thereby raising awareness and pushing for accountability.
The exhibition honors not only the victims of the most recent massacre but also the long history of Kurdish resistance in the face of ongoing violence. As artist Hero Shekha states,
“This installation, composed of 365 frames of images and texts, commemorates the Kurdish civilians killed by the IRGC during protests demanding justice and freedom. While the work focuses on this most recent massacre, it also stands as a testament to a longer history of Kurdish resilience in the face of continuous violence.”
Amid the ongoing lack of accountability, the exhibition questions the international community’s role in tackling these violations and whether memory alone is sufficient to combat impunity.