Reem Yassouf is a freestyle artist whose monochrome, abstract art usually features people, buildings and animals, in addition to fantasy and mythological creatures. After the Syrian revolution was born, Yassouf’s art became more bold and humanistic. She began combining clashing elements into a single element.

In an interview with The Damascus Bureau on Dec. 27, 2012, she commented on the overwhelming use of the color white in her work, saying that white symbolized purity in an ugly world overcome by war and destruction. White, she said, is “easily forgotten. It is like a little boy playing among us, and a paper airplane we scribbled our dreams and wishes on. It is my friend and my enemy, and the child on whom we leave a mark. It is our peace and our violence; it is our future.”

Yassouf comes from the town of Deir Atiye. She graduated from the College of Fine Arts at Damascus University in 2000 with a degree in painting. She has earned a number of awards, including a medal of appreciation at the 2003 Arab and International Exhibit in Syria, and another one at the 2004 World Beauty Festival. She won an honorable mention at the 2003 Ehden Symposium in Lebanon, and won at the 2009 Sindian Symposium in Syria.

The artist also designs jewelry, and won second prize at a jewelry-making competition held by the international L’azurde company in Dubai that had 8,000 participants. Her winning piece was inspired by the renowned Damascene rose, and her life in the city.    

Reem Yassouf’s official Facebook page