Artist Since 1996
Bîstyek
Born in 1996 in Aleppo, Syria
Lives and works in Winnipeg, Canada
Bîstyek is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture, installation, and public art. Born in Aleppo, Syria to a Kurdish family and now based in Winnipeg, Canada, his work explores themes of identity, memory, belonging, and resilience shaped by experiences of displacement and resettlement.
Working primarily with acrylic and spray paint, Bîstyek creates large-scale figurative works characterized by bold colour, expressive gestures, and layered symbolism. His paintings often draw from personal memory and cultural narratives, reflecting the emotional complexity of migration, protection, and survival. Through portraiture, sculpture, and immersive installations, he transforms personal experience into visual languages that resonate with broader human stories.
Bîstyek has presented solo exhibitions including Forbidden Colours at the Winnipeg Art Gallery–Qaumajuq (2025–26), Inside Out at Katie + Gunner Gallery (2024), This Is How I Do It (Toronto, 2022), Fuck War (Winnipeg, 2022), Inside Pain (Toronto, 2021), and Bîstyek (Winnipeg, 2020). His work is held in private collections nationally and internationally.
Alongside his studio practice, Bîstyek has created several public artworks across Winnipeg, including murals, installations, and community-based projects that engage with themes of cultural visibility, diversity, and shared space.
CV
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025–2026 — Forbidden Colours, Winnipeg Art Gallery–Qaumajuq, Winnipeg, Canada
2024 — Inside Out, Katie + Gunner Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada
2022 — This Is How I Do It, Toronto, Canada
2022 — Fuck War, Winnipeg, Canada
2021 — Inside Pain, Toronto, Canada
2020 — Bîstyek, Winnipeg, Canada
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 — Vivid Encounters, Galerie Buhler Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada
Murals & Public Art
2024 — Central Park Street Banners, Winnipeg, Canada
Commissioned by Winnipeg Arts Council × West End BIZ.
2024 — Lights on the Exchange, Exchange District, Winnipeg, Canada
Commissioned by Winnipeg Arts Council.
2021 —Fort Gibraltar Trail Pavement Mural, The Forks, Winnipeg, Canada
2021 — Refugees, 58 Albert Street, Winnipeg, Canada
Collaborations
2025 — Home Away From Home, ThanksJoy × Maktaba Bookshop × Peace Collective
2023 — I’m Not Just a Refugee, FFO × Bîstyek
Selected Press
2026 — Reclamation of Forbidden Colours
2025 — Al-Tiba9 Interview, “10 Questions with Bîstyek”
2024 — The Uniter, “Bîstyek: Forbidden Colours”
2024 — Rûdaw, “Werin em şêwekar (Bîstyek) nas bikin”
2022 — Winnipeg Free Press, “Art of War: Winnipeg painter’s first-hand experience with conflict colours his new exhibition”
2021 — BlogTO, “An artist that's having his first Toronto show right now has been compared to Jean-Michel Basquiat”
2021 — Toronto Star, “Self-taught artist whose work has been compared to the late Basquiat looks forward to first show in Toronto”
2020 — The Uniter, “Outsider Artist Has First Solo Exhibition: Bîstyek’s Paintings Are Moving and Impressive”
2020 — Galleries West, “A Syrian refugee in Winnipeg holds his first exhibition to help others understand the terrible costs of conflict”
2020 — Winnipeg Free Press, “A passion grows from pain”
2020 — CBC, “Paintings by Syrian-born artist who came to Winnipeg as a refugee featured in solo exhibit”
Documentary
When I Go Outside
When I Go Outside is a documentary directed by Geordie Sabbagh and funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. The film traces Bîstyek’s journey from Syria to Canada and follows his life and artistic practice as he navigates identity, displacement, and belonging through art.