Syrian Artists on World Refugee Day

They Draw For A Cause

Art is a tool, which helps to cope with various frailties that exceed us. It helps us to understand ourselves and our surroundings, empathise with others, soothe our sorrows and work as an agent of hope.

Keeping this spirit alive and to honour World Refugee Day on 20 June, we at ArtsPositive asked artists from across the globe to express how they viewed the world of those who were displaced from their homes due to war, persecution or disaster. The response was both poignant and profound.

Amongst many other artists, we received some moving artistic expressions from Syrian artists. The Syrian conflict, now in its eighth year, remains as one of the largest global crises of our era with no clear sight of a peaceful end. We are dedicating this feature to those Syrian artists who shared their body of work with us.

We are deeply touched by their incredible artworks and creative statements. We hope their art will provide strength to those who are fighting the battles of survival as well as inspire many of us to be more empathetic and stand #WithRefugees.

Here are some of their artworks:

Artist Rawan Hasan says: “I am a part of the refugee chaos in this world as I am one of them. Through my art, I can send a message to remind the world of our suffering.”

Artist Yara Meraki says: “A refugee to me is a relative. This artwork is for the refugees gone unmentioned, the ones under the sea. Running, to avoid suffocating under a sky of bombs, only to suffocate under the sea and looking up at what should have been a survival boat.”

Artist Eyas Jaafar says: “World Refugee Day shows the world, that we (refugees) are also human beings like the rest of them. I use painting oil or acrylic to express my feelings.”

Writer Isha Bhattacharya for ArtsPositive