‘The Last Butterflies’ follows female Kurdish guerrillas living and training in the mountains between Iraq and Iran, examining militancy, sacrifice and political belief. Moving beyond combat alone, Valentina Sinis looks at how armed struggle intersects with gender, truth, solidarity and survival.

The project opens with a parable of three butterflies and fire. The first returns saying it is light. The second returns saying it is warm. The third flies into the flames and does not return. The lesson is that truth demands sacrifice. For the female Kurdish guerrillas pictured here, this parable reflects their own struggle.

Many of the women come from Kurdish regions of Iran and belong to the Kurdistan Free Life Party, while the Women’s Protection Forces form an all-female unit within that movement. They describe themselves as the last butterflies, ready to sacrifice themselves for freedom and for Haqiqat, truth.

As tensions across the region continue to rise, some fighters remain on standby in hidden border caves while others operate inside Iranian territory. Many have taken part in the Women, Life, Freedom uprising, and some are veterans of battles against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Alongside armed struggle, they also work to promote gender equality, ecological awareness and the preservation of Kurdish language and culture. The project looks at both the military and the human dimensions of that commitment.

Artist Bio

Valentina Sinis is an Italian photographer living and working between China, Iraq and Italy. Her practice is drawn towards unusual realities and people who are often overlooked by mainstream media. Her work has been published in a wide range of international newspapers and magazines.

She took part in the VII mentorship programme from 2018 to 2021 and was selected for World Press Photo’s 6x6 Europe Talents in 2019. Her work has received numerous international awards and recognitions, and she has worked on assignments for UNICEF and Emergency ONG. She has also co-produced for the BBC and is currently directing an ongoing documentary in Sinjar, Iraq.