Where Promises Fade - ongoing

One year after the fall of the Assad regime, a new phase of the Syrian conflict begins in January 2026. With the offensive on the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, the fragile self-administration in the north comes under massive pressure once again. Officially framed as the restoration of state order, for many Kurds it means renewed displacement and fear of losing political and cultural self-determination.

As fighting intensifies in northern Aleppo, many flee to Afrin and other parts of the Kurdish northeast. Numerous families have already been displaced multiple times within Syria. The clashes mark the starting point of a large-scale offensive by the Islamist interim government. Meanwhile, significant parts of Rojava have come under Arab control. The population navigates between expulsion, mistrust, and attempts to reorganize local structures. My work begins at this point: where shifting power dynamics become visible in the daily lives of civilians. For decades, Kurds in Syria were systematically disenfranchised. Autonomy in the northeast created unprecedented spaces for political and cultural participation, gender equality, and minority protection. These achievements are now once again at risk. The convergence of military escalation, geopolitical interests, and local tensions reveals the fragility of the current situation.

For the past ten years, I have worked in Germany with refugees from Syria. From these encounters, trust and understanding have grown, shaping my photographic approach beyond event-driven reporting. Where Promises Fade documents this turning point of Kurdish self-administration and continues as a long-term essay in the still Kurdish-controlled regions of Qamishli and Kobane, asking: What place will the Kurdish population hold in a newly forming Syria—and how real are the promised guarantees of minority protection?