Fadia Affash is a Syrian artist who studied at the Adham Ismail Art Institute in 2002 and graduated from Damascus University with a law degree in 2003. She completed her master’s education in management from Institut National d’Administration in 2007.
Since the start of her career, Affash has dedicated her art to battling violence in society, and violence against Syrian women in particular. When the Syrian revolution was born, she naturally found herself siding with the unarmed protesters, condemning the violence displayed by security forces against the people. She spent some time studying in the United States, and focused on the Arab Spring revolutions, trying to embody the suffering of the Syrian people in her art.
Affash believes that the Syrian revolution helped break the barrier of fear that existed in the country for more than 40 years. It allowed Syrians to regain trust in one another after years of suspicion. On March 4, 2013, Affash was interviewed by Ayman Abdelnour on a program called “Road to Damascus.” She said, “When fear is planted in someone’s heart, it is not forgotten. The fear may be broken, and the revolution has definitely broken the barrier of fear, but it is not gone. The reason for that is through the revolution, the regime has given the Syrian people new things to be afraid of.”
In Affash’s point of view, the worst possible scenario in Syria is that the regime will not fall. Syria will be destroyed, and everyone will be impacted, regardless of political stance.
The artist has participated in multiple art galleries inside and outside of Syria. In 2003, she exhibited her art at a gallery at the Holy Cross Hall in Damascus, and in 2004, she participated in a gallery at the Anbar Office in the Syrian capital. She joined a 2005 dual-exhibition at Damascus’s Aal Bal Cafe, and another one in Heidelberg, Germany that same year. In 2007, Affash displayed her art at the Arab Cultural Center in Aleppo, and in 2009 she joined the Mada Art House gallery. In 2012, Affash participated in an art gallery in support of Syrian children and the revolution in Los Angeles. She said the gallery in Los Angeles was therapeutic to her, after losing many people, including children, to the fighting in Syria. Affash believes that her paintings give a voice to Syria’s voiceless, and she used her artwork to send a message to the world about the Syrian struggle, which includes loss, displacement, and a fight for human dignity.
Fadia Affash’s personal Facebook profile
