Damascus, Dec.25 (SANA) The Damascus countryside branch of the Syrian Union of Visual Artists opened on Wednesday an art exhibition titled “Syria through the Eyes of Visual Artists,” featuring around 45 artworks by 34 artists at the Louay Kayyali Hall in the Arab Cultural Center in Damascus.
The exhibited works represent a range of artistic schools, including realism, expressionism, abstraction and cubism, alongside documentary-style pieces that reflect the suffering of Syrians during the years of the Syrian revolution and capture details of their daily lives.
Mahmoud Salem, head of exhibitions and activities at the Damascus countryside branch of the union, said in a statement to SANA that the exhibition comes as a national artistic celebration accompanying Syrians’ joy over victory and liberation.
He noted that artists expressed this stage through brush, color and creative work, in the same way the Syrian street conveys its feelings and experiences.
Salem said realism and expressionism are among the artistic approaches closest to expressing the current situation in Syria, given their ability to convey pain and hope together with direct visual honesty. He stressed, however, the artist’s freedom to choose style and tools, while respecting all schools of visual art.
Salem emphasized that art today plays a central role in reinforcing national awareness, describing the artist as an integral part of society whose artwork serves as a visual document reflecting the life, emotions and experience of the Syrian people at a pivotal stage.
The exhibition opening was attended by the head of the Syrian Union of Visual Artists, Mohammad Sobhi al-Sayyid Yahya, along with a large gathering of artists and intellectuals.
The Damascus countryside branch of the union has organized a series of exhibitions in several areas of the governorate to mark Liberation Day, the most recent of which was an exhibition by artist Abdul Latif Hashem at the Cultural Center in Zabadani.
