From March 2 to April 2, the Kurdistan Center for Arts and Culture (KCAC) is hosting the exhibition “Blue Orange” at the renovated qishla, or old fort, of Akre. The exhibit showcases the artwork of Kaiwan Shaban, a 24-year-old visual artist originally from Akre now residing in Poland.

“The exhibition is all about showing the beauty of Kurdistan, especially through the colors blue and orange that you see a lot in my artwork,” Shaban told Kurdistan Chronicle. 

“I chose Akre because it’s where I first started to love art. It’s a place full of history and stories, and I wanted to bring those to life with my digital art. It’s like mixing the old with the new, and showing how our traditions and modern art can come together.”

The KCAC said in a post on X that “Kaiwan Shaban’s artwork shines through the mist of this atmosphere as a beacon representing creativity despite the odds to a global audience.” 

“In Blue Orange, Kaiwan’s vision returns to the town where that flame was ignited in him, displaying his creations on the backdrop that inspired the first steps of his journey.”

According to Shaban’s website, his art merges digital art and cinematography to express his imaginative ideas uniquely.

Throughout his career, Kaiwan has worked with international clients such as Apple, Adobe, Mercedes, Audible, Sony Music, and Jaguar.

The KCAC’s exhibition of Kaiwan Shaban’s works was opened on March 2 and is open from 4 pm to 10 pm at the qishla of Akre. The exhibition will be closed on Sundays and will run until April 2.