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“Bîranîn” (Memory) exhibition: Kurdistan through the eyes of Nesali journalists. Photos, documentaries & behind-the-scenes fieldwork. Opening reception on Sept. 3.
The Bîranîn exhibition project (“Memory” in Kurdish) is a photographic and documentary exhibition conceived by Alice Moritz and Nesrine Cherifati, journalists and founders of the independent media outlet Nesali. The result of three months of reporting in northern Kurdistan (Bakur in Kurdish, located in southeastern Turkey), the exhibition accompanies a series of documentaries and articles about the Kurdish question published online. It brings together memories from a journey and offers a complementary perspective on the final productions by revealing the behind-the-scenes work of journalism: the encounters, travel, observations, conversations, everyday moments and human connections that make reporting possible, while placing these experiences within the region’s complex sociopolitical reality. The installation is organized around a map of Kurdistan tracing our route. Each stop along the journey is linked to a selection of photographs illustrating the places we traveled through, the people we met and the subjects we explored. These images enter into dialogue with the documentaries produced in the field, offering visitors a journey connecting places, stories and memories. They capture moments of life that may seem ordinary to those experiencing them, but that shaped our understanding of the region. By sharing them, we invite visitors to explore these fragments of memory and discover the stories they carry. These images enter into dialogue with the documentaries produced in the field, which can be viewed via a QR code, offering visitors an interactive journey connecting reports with memories from the field. The exhibition offers an immersive experience of contemporary Kurdistan through the eyes of two field journalists, in which cartography, photography and documentary filmmaking create a vivid record of the journey, the encounters and the realities experienced. Statement of intent This exhibition grew out of a simple observation: when a report is published, much of the story disappears. For three months, we traveled through northern Kurdistan to produce a series of documentaries about the Kurdish question, covering political and social struggles, changes to the region, cultural practices and the memories that permeate it. From the city of Van, located around one hundred kilometers from the Iranian border, we also worked on several stories related to Iran, including the regime’s repression and its impact on younger generations. Behind every film lie hundreds of hours in the field and kilometers traveled, as well as invitations to share tea, nights spent in local homes, weddings, spontaneous conversations and moments of waiting that never appear in the final productions. This invisible material nourishes and enables journalistic work, and it is what we want to highlight through this exhibition. Bîranîn, which means “Memory” in Kurdish, grew out of this desire to preserve traces of these moments. Each photograph captures a moment that may seem ordinary to those experiencing it, but that became precious along our own journey. These images bear witness to what takes shape between two interviews, on the road, over a meal or through a simple conversation: a relationship, an emotion, a deeper understanding of a place. The photographs presented here are therefore traces of our documentaries. They reveal what video editing leaves out: the encounters that open the doors to a region, the bonds forged through conversations, the suspended moments between reports and the human dimension of field journalism. Through Bîranîn, we share these fragments of memory with visitors. Each image opens the door to a broader story that can be explored further through the documentaries and reports associated with our route. The photographs thus become the starting point for a broader narrative in which journalism, memory and place complement one another. Opening reception: Kurdish music and dance - A musical performance by Deza Amed, an artist specializing in traditional Kurdish music, followed by a dance performance by Juan-Golan Elibeg, a dancer, actor and Kurdish activist. An opening evening devoted to passing on cultural heritage and preserving cultural memory. Date Thursday, September 3, 2026 Time 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission Free How to get here? Maison de la Conversation 10-12 rue Maurice Grimaud, 75018 Paris Public transportation recommended Metro: lines 4 (Porte de Clignancourt) or 13 (Porte de Saint-Ouen) Tram: T3B, Angélique Compoint – Porte de Montmartre stop Bus: lines 60 and 95, René Binet stop Instagram: @iciconversation Website: maisondelaconversation.org
Source: paris.fr — photo: Maison de la Conversation