Conceptual Kurdish-Danish artist and columnist Ilos Ilyas Elias Kirkan shares his latest art collection and thoughts on why Abstract Expressionism is his preferred mother tongue.
‘I paint because, for me, painting is a language of its own – a way to speak when words fall short. Though I speak several languages, none have ever felt entirely mine. Growing up in a traditional Kurdish household where my parents were illiterate, our home language was fragmented, and still is – a broken blend of a banned language – with pieces missing, mispronounced, or reshaped by circumstances.
I often find myself in situations or rooms filled with Kurdish people where we don’t have a common language. In school in Ishøj – Denmark, where I grew up, I was taught Danish and English then German was added to this at secondary school followed by French at college. Furthermore being born in Turkey, I was offered Turkish mother tongue classes when it really wasn’t my mother tongue. Each language added a new layer to my identity, but none created a bridge to truly connect with my family.
I often felt suspended between languages and cultures, floating between worlds without a shared language to express my emotions, ideas, or even the simplest thoughts with those closest to me. That gap created a quiet frustration – an ache to be understood. So creating became my true language – my mother tongue really – whether it is painting, drawing or taking pictures, where words aren’t required to express myself. It allowed me to anchor myself and process feelings differently.
Through creating I can communicate beyond words – speaking directly from the bottom of my heart with unfiltered and raw emotions, across cultures and languages. Through creating I began to understand myself, my people’s history and trauma, as well as the space between all the languages I had learned but never fully felt at home in. Art gave me the freedom to be whole, to find meaning and connection.’
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