The Yezidi Mosaic Project, Spring 2017

Once again, the Yezidi are fleeing their homeland to escape fights that broke out between two rivals Kurdish factions. It saddens me how because of other people's differences, the Yezidi who have been the victims of many genocides, are not allowed to live in peace even after the ISIS barbarians have been chased away from their land.

I created this short video to promote my Yezidi mosaic project. 

The background music is a live version of "Gimme Shelter" a 1969 song about the Vietnam war, by the Rolling Stones. I have always loved this dramatic and powerful song. It owes so much to Merry Clayton singing "Rape, Murder, it's just a shot away" at the top of her lungs.

This song, unfortunately, perfectly illustrates the horrible reality Yezidi children and adults are confronted to...

I hope the Yezidi eyes mosaic portraits sell this year. I will donate 50 % of the proceeds to Free Yezidi Foundation. For this to happen we need help to organize a sale or auction.

We set up a website Yezidimosaics.com specially for this project.

If you would like to help or volunteer, please email us at yezidimosaics@gmail.com 

If you are unable to help in person, you might be able to share this post or video on Facebook or other social networks.

Thank you

Frederic Lecut is a French mosaicist.

In 1992 he made Alabama his home.

His Art is about inspiring People.

You can contact him either 

by phone at (334) 798 1639 or email at 

frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com

You can also subscribe to his

NEWSLETTER

 

Yezidis Mosaics update, February 2nd, 2016

During the fall 2015, I launched a Yezidi Eyes mosaic project. I am realizing a collection of eyes of Yezidi refugees. The Yezidi - sometimes spelled Yazidi - are a people persecuted by ISIS - DAESH because of their religion. They are being massacred, raped, sold, enslaved. Several international organizations are trying to help them. 

I am working with the Free Yezidi Foundation, an organization seeking to implement projects to protect and support the most vulnerable members of the Yezidi community.

Our goal is to sell - or auction these mosaics to raise funds and raise the awareness of the general public about the fact they are being the victims of a crimes against humanity and genocide.

At this point one mosaic - Yezidi 02 - is complete.

3 mosaics are almost complete, all the tiles have been laid, I still need to finish them, lots of cleaning, grouting, have the frame done and install it. 

Yezidi 01 is the first mosaic I made in the sepia tone, I used it as the model for Yezidi 02 in Black and White.

Yezidi 11 is of a young girl covering her eyes from the bright sun.

Yezidi 21 is a young boy.

The cold and humid weather has delayed me. At the time I am writing, I have grouted these last 3 pieces.
 

I have started  to work in 2016 on 3 additional pieces.

Yezidi 20 is fully laid and needs to be supported and flipped for finition.

Yezidi 13 is at about 15 % completion, you cannot see any features of the piece yet. (Surprise...)

Finally Yezidi 36 is at this time only a project, I have printed the model, but will only start to lay the tiles once I have flipped Yezidi 20 and its working table becomes available !

This one is not of a child, but of a young Yezidi woman soldier. It will be like the previous ones realized in Black and White colours.

These 7 mosaics should be ready by mid April. We have started thinking about the way we could organize the sale / auction. We have little experience on this matter, and all help, or suggestion is welcome.

If you have experience in organizing this kind of charity / fund raising event, please contact me at frederic.lecut @gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

 

I am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts. You can see some of my own mosaics on my site mosaicblues.

 

If you are interested by this project or by my work in general 

or if you would simply like to drop me a line, please 

contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com  

or by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

 

   You can also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

to receive regular updates on this

Yezidi Eyes Mosaic Project, 

and my other projects.

The Yezidi Collection

Back from Europe, I am working on a number of exciting projects. One of them I like very much is my collection of Eyes of Yezidi refugees. 

The Yezidi - sometimes Yazidi, or Ezidi, one of the oldest minority in Iraq, follow an ancient non-Abrahamic religion. 

For this reason, Yezidi  men, women and children are tortured, enslaved, raped and massacred by ISIS. Not only is this religious persecution, it also is a Genocide. But very few people are aware of it. In fact, until not so long ago, I had never heard of the Yezidi people.

Here are the 3 next portraits :

Yezidi 13 is a young boy who thankfully is still able to smile.

Yezidi 013

Yezidi 020 is a young girl. She could be anyone's daughter, nice, sister or cousin.

Yezidi 020

 

Yezidi 036 is a young woman who chose to fight the enemies of her people. She could be anyone daughter, sister or wife. 

Yezidi 036

The Free Yezidi Foundation is an international ONG based in the Netherlands. They provide assistance to the refugees and victims of this genocide. 

I cannot go to Iraq or Syria help these pople. But I can try to help with my Art. This is why I am creating this collection. Once it is complete, I intend to auction the mosaics, and will donate 50 % of the profit to the Free Yezidi Foundation to help their work. 

At this time, I have no idea about the way this sale can be organized, it would be good to use it to make people aware of what is really going on there. 

I created last week the models for these 3 pieces. I am using to build them a new technique I developed specifically for them.

I will post regular updates on these mosaics. 

I am presently completing other pieces of this collection, and will publish pictures of the finished pieces as soon as possible. Because I have to do part of the finishing work outside, I have been delayed by the weather. I should be able to publish the first piece within 2 weeks.

I have no idea of the way to organize the sale or Auction, so if have any expertise in this area and would like to help or participate, please let me know at frederic.lecut@gmail.com, or call me at (334) 798 1639.

 

I am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts. You can see some of my own mosaics on my site mosaicblues.

 

If you are interested by this project or by my work in general 

or if you would simply like to drop me a line, please 

contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com  

or by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

 

   You can also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

to receive regular updates on this

Yezidi Eyes Mosaic Project, 

and my other projects.

YEZIDI Eyes

In Syria and Northern Iraq, Yezidi mens and boys are being massacred while Yezidi women and girls, some as young as 9 years old, are being sold, raped and enslaved by Islamic State terrorists who consider they are Devil worshippers.

Some of the Yezidi have been able to flee the horrors of the genocide, some are still in sexual slavery; some were killed; some committed suicide to escape their ordeal. 

The idea of these women and girls suffering is very distressing. The victims could be our wives, our sisters or our daughters.  But just lamenting the situation from my comfortable home in Alabama does not do much good. So I wondered if I could use my art to actually help.

2 month ago, I contacted a number of NGO involved in helping the refugees from Iraq and Syria. I  proposed to realize mosaic portraits of Yezidi Children. These portraits would then be auctioned to raise money. I would give 50 % of the profit to the cause. We would need lots of publicity around the event to raise public awareness of the situation of the Yezidi people.

The Free Yezidi Foundation in an international organization hosted in the Netherlands. It was started by Ms Pari Ibrahim, a remarkable Iraqi woman, and they are doing an amazing work. I have been in regular contact with their contact in the USA. 

I decided I had to do something special, something that had not been done before. I conceived a different way to build mosaics. I do not think anybody has ever worked like this before. The look of these mosaics will be unique. 

However, like for any new process, it requires experimentations and adjustments, discussion with various people. A friend helped me greatly to drastically improve my initial design process...

I realized a First prototype early in October. 

The first prototype.

Because the colours of some of the tiles I received from my supplier were slightly different from what I had ordered, I was not satisfied by the result. However, I realized that my concept was valid - the Right eye is beautiful.  I just needed to solve the problem of the tiles colours, 

I am now presently working on a Second prototype, I have increased the definition of my design.

The second prototype under construction.

I am building this mosaic following my regular reverse method. I decided to work in black and white at this time as it is a little easier to control the 

actual colours of the tiles. Hopefully I should have this second mosaic mounted by the end of November. 

I have learned a lot with these 2 first  prototypes. This type of mosaic has to be laid differently from what I usually do with bigger tesserae. 

If all goes well I will design several models in December and start working on them in January 2016.

 


My goal is to organize a sale by the end of Spring. I have no idea of the way we will be able to organize this, and all help will be welcome. If you like this project and would like to participate, please let me know at frederic.lecut@gmail.com, or call me at (334) 798 1639.

You can also visit the Free Yezidi Foundation site to lean more about their remarkable work, about the Yezidi themselves, their religion, their culture, the challenges ahead of them, and possibly make a small donation.

 

I am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts. You can see some of my own mosaics on my site mosaicblues.

 

If you are interested by this project or by my work in general 

or if you would simply like to drop me a line, please 

contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com  

or by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

 

   You can also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

to receive regular updates on this

Yezidi Eyes Mosaic Project, 

and my other projects,