Born in Damascus 1984, Nizar is a young artist whose creativity enriched the Syrian revolution with many bold caricatures that convey the fundamental issues underlying the civil movement in Syria. After leaving Syria at the age of 20, Nizar was unable to continue his education. However, the artist chose to pursue his passion by taking part in several graphic design programs, to work in advertising. Little did he know that his whole life will turn upside down, when his own people take to the streets.

“I awaited this uprising impatiently my whole life” says the artist, “the surreal thing to me was the atrocious criminality shown by the regime.” These petrifying scenes the artist has witnessed haunted his every thought. When Hamza al-Khateeb, a 13-year-old boy who was savagely murdered by the regime, the artist drew his first caricature. His comics gained popularity after being featured on Facebook pages dedicated to Syrian art, including “Caricature of the Syrian Revolution”.

The artist chose the name “I Am Syrian” as his signature, as a response to the regime’s propaganda that accused protestors of being “infiltrators”. Nizar’s drawings pay great attention to the issue of refugees and illegal immigration. In one caricature, a man ascends to heaven using his Syrian passport as wings, as a sign of helplessness and abandonment. While in another caricature, the artist portrays the tragedy of thousands of illegal immigrants by sea, by drawing a man using his fragile passport as a boat.