9 Syrian artists telling the stories of a country torn apart by war

Almost four million Syrians have fled their country since civil war erupted in the spring of 2011.  Among them are many of the country's artists.

Artists, young and old, have left behind a conflict that has killed more than 210,000 people and set up studios in Beirut (a hub for Syrian contemporary art), Dubai, Doha and elsewhere.

Their works — paintings, sculptures, photographs, cartoons, videos and digital composites — have become an important part of the narrative about the war that's raged for four years and shows no sign of ending.

Art has not only served as an outlet for their personal feelings about the conflict, but also acted as a beacon to attract international attention to the plight of the people they left behind.

"Art can't save the country, but it can rebuild the places," said Tammam Azzam, whose digital image of Gustav Klimt's romantic painting "The Kiss" superimposed over a destroyed building in Damascus went viral in 2013. 

And there have been commercial rewards. 

After years of oppression by the Bashar al-Assad regime and isolation from the international art market, many artists are now enjoying bittersweet success in exile, where they have greater exposure to gallery curators and well-heeled collectors.

That they have secured exhibitions in venues in Paris, London, Dubai and Beirut reflects the growing interest in Syrian contemporary art.

And some of the works are fetching high prices. At a Sotheby’s auction in Doha nearly two years ago a work by Syrian artist Diana al-Hadid sold for $42,500.

But some artists, like photographer Issa Touma and painter and etcher Youssef Abdelke, have chosen to stay in Syria in an effort to protect what’s left of Syria’s rich cultural life and, at the same time, to bear witness to the death and violence ravaging their country.  

In January, Touma, against all odds, held the 12th International Photo Festival in Aleppo, which has been devastated by the war. More than 100 photographers from around the world submitted photos, which were projected onto the walls of his gallery — the last one still operating in the city, according to Touma — for a week.

The opening was delayed by two months due to bombings and a shortage of gasoline for the gallery's generator — every day problems in Syria's largest city. 

“Our festival gives the chance for Aleppians to stop in front of international works of art like any other citizen around the world. To feel normal for one day,” he was quoted as saying.

Abdelke, a prominent painter, etcher and anti-government activist who was detained by Syrian authorities for a month in 2013, gave this reason for staying in Damascus while many of his colleagues have chosen to flee:  "I chose to stay because you never leave your house while it's burning.

"An artist has only one mission, which is to draw, write, compose with a conscience and an open eye to what is happening in his country or any country."

Here are the works of nine Syrian artists, living inside and outside the country. 

1. Youssef Abdelke, Damascus

Photo from Youssef Abdelke's Facebook page

2. Waseem al-Marzouki, Doha 

Photo from Twitter 

3. Tammam Azzam, Dubai  

Photo from Twitter

4. Salam Salahef, Damascus 

Photo from Twitter

5. Mohannad Orabi, Dubai 

Photo from Mohannad Orabi's Twitter page

6. Heba al-Akkad, Sweden

Photo courtesy of Heba al-Akkad's Facebook page

7. Azzo Abo Rabieh, Damascus

Photo from Twitter

8. Ali Ferzat, Kuwait

Image from Ali Ferzat's Facebook page

9. Issa Touma, organizer of the Aleppo International Photo Festival, Aleppo 

Photo by Sylvia de Swaan shown on the Aleppo International Photo Festival's Facebook page.