At 24 years old, Kozhin Azad from Hawraman, currently living in Sulaymaniyah, is making a name for himself in the local art scene. A fourth-year student at the College of Fine Arts in Sulaymaniyah, Azad is majoring in painting and describes drawing as an art that is “not physical but spiritual—it empties and purifies the human soul.”
A graduate of the college’s graphic design department, Azad has been passionate about drawing since childhood. “I loved drawing as a child, but in adolescence, I fully decided to become a painter,” he says. “After entering university, I delved even deeper into art.”
For Azad, drawing holds profound personal significance. “Drawing is sacred to me,” he explains. “When a person draws, they disconnect from all existence. Whether it’s a single line or a complete image, it purifies the soul.”
Although still a student, Azad has participated in joint exhibitions and focuses primarily on learning rather than organizing solo shows. His work spans graphic print-making, acrylic paintings, watercolors, and pencil sketches, but he emphasizes that his main focus remains on graphics.
Asked about which painting has impacted him the most, Azad admits that no single work has moved him to tears, though each has shaped him as an artist and as a person.
Azad also spoke about contemporary art, praising its depth and conceptual approach. “Contemporary art has a rich history and embraces more subjects than classical art,” he says. “It works on ideas and concepts, not just aesthetics, creating questions in the mind like ‘why?’” While he appreciates classical art, he believes artists should explore both, especially when starting out. Among contemporary influences, he cites the works of Zehra Doğan and Ahmed Nabaz as particularly impactful, though he notes that understanding of contemporary art remains limited in society.
