Bîstyek’s Forbidden Colours to Open at WAG-Qaumajuq

New exhibition of Winnipeg-based artist launches with free celebration November 27

Winnipeg, Manitoba, November 26, 2025: The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq is excited to present Forbidden Colours, a new exhibition by local artist, Bîstyek, on November 27, 2025. The show reflects the artists’ Kurdish identity, personal, familial, and collective ties, and runs through March 2026.

As part of the free opening celebration, there will be screening of the new documentary, When I Go Outside at 7pm, which focuses on the artist’s life, directed by Lebanese/Canadian filmmaker, Geordie Sabbagh.

Bîstyek was born in Syria from a Kurdish family and now resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has emerged from a refugee background to become a visual artist, following his passion to begin painting. Within three months, he completed 40-50 paintings, embracing art as his identity and form of self-expression.

His art is vibrant and impactful, challenging our conceptions of self and what it means to be a refugee. Bîstyek’s work is raw and personal, speaking to narratives of displacement and resilience and offers a unique and emotive perspective on the human experience. This is what viewers can expect in the new WAG-Qaumajuq exhibition.

Forbidden Colours is both an act of remembrance and resistance. It speaks to the ways Kurdish culture and identity have been suppressed or silenced, and how even today, these colours remain forbidden in some places. This show is a celebration of memory, tradition, and creation.

Quick Facts:

• Forbidden Colours opens at WAG-Qaumajuq on November 27 and is a solo exhibition by Bîstyek, a Kurdish artist from Syria who now resides in Winnipeg. Forbidden Colours will be on view until March 2026.
• Everyone is invited to join us for a free public opening celebration of the show on November 27 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm), which will feature a screening of the new documentary, When I Go Outside, focusing on the artist’s life, and directed by Lebanese/Canadian filmmaker, Geordie Sabbagh.
• Following the screening, there will be a Q&A conversation with the artist and director, the opportunity to see the show, Forbidden Colours, and a cash bar.
• Bîstyek was born in Syria in 1996 from a Kurdish family and moved to Winnipeg. He decided to become an artist full time and realize his passion for painting.
• The show is a celebration of human experience, weaving personal stories of displacement and resilience into powerful visual narratives that speak to the strength and vulnerability of the human spirit.
• Bîstyek’s Kurdish identity, personal, familial, and collective reflections are featured in the art. The colours and imagery are vibrant and are both an act of resistance and memory.

Quotes:

“Forbidden Colours is a powerful exhibition that speaks to a very personal experience, and pulls on common threads in the human experience. We have been fortunate to work with Bîstyek in our Studio spaces for the last few weeks and to see the artist in his element, creating works that will be in the show. We are very excited to welcome everyone to see the vibrant results, and extend our warmest congratulations to the artist!”

— Dr. Riva Symko, Head of Collections & Exhibitions, WAG-Qaumajuq

“Forbidden Colours is my way of honouring the memories, stories, and people that shaped me. These works carry my Kurdish identity—an identity that has often been silenced, suppressed, or erased. This exhibition focuses on that identity, on the colours and symbols that were forbidden, and that in some places remain forbidden even today. Painting them is my way of saying it out loud, of refusing to hide who I am, and of acknowledging how being Kurdish has shaped every part of my journey. Creating this exhibition has been an act of remembering, resisting, and healing.”

— Bîstyek, Artist

Associated Links

Forbidden Colours
Opening Celebration

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For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Katryna Barske
Public Relations Officer
Winnipeg Art Gallery
204.789.1295
kbarske@wag.ca

About Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq is a cultural advocate using art as a catalyst for change. The Gallery features an impressive collection of nearly 30,000 artworks spanning centuries, cultures, and media, including the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. Each piece has its own story to tell. Sharing these stories with the world is at the core of WAG-Qaumajuq. This is an engaging, accessible space where visitors can experience art and learning in new ways. Principles of equity, care, trust, and responsibility guide the institution towards meaningful impact and transformation. To learn more, visit wag.ca.

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