In Damascus, the final preparations for the first edition of "Syria Art Week." (Credit: Ammar Abd Rabbo)
Syria Art Week is being born in a country still deeply scarred by years of war and decades of dictatorship. As Syria faces the urgencies of transitional justice, rebuilding, the cost of living, and freedoms, why make art and culture a priority today?
The fundamental problem today lies in the absence of a true artistic ecosystem in Syria. After years of war and decades of authoritarian rule, galleries have closed, institutions have weakened, and artists find themselves without support or a platform. There is neither a culture of collecting, nor a habit of attending exhibitions, nor any structure able to keep creation alive.
Culture is not considered a priority in Syria. That is precisely why it seemed essential to me to start, right now, to build a true artistic ecosystem. We have exceptionally talented artists. Everywhere I go in the world, I see their works attract attention and spark real interest. We must not wait: we have to undertake this work ourselves.
I therefore felt the need to gather a team and mobilize experts in order to lay the first foundations of a strong artistic and cultural ecosystem. The time has come to properly structure things, right from the start. Today, we have a unique opportunity to do just that.
After long years during which events like this had almost disappeared from the local scene, what do you want to offer the Syrian public? What common narrative links the works, concerts, and films presented?
This project has many ambitions. We first want to build a true cultural ecosystem, but also to make this initiative an example that can inspire beyond our borders. Culture must be part of the country’s reconstruction process.
We want to attract visitors, revitalize the city, and make art and culture an engine of economic recovery. This platform also carries a message of solidarity and unity between all Syrians, regardless of their origins or beliefs. It must encourage international collaborations, build bridges, and stimulate the circulation of ideas.
One major goal of this project is to document the journeys of Syrian artists, their memory, and their resilience. It is a declaration: we are here, we have a story, and we want to share it with the world before it disappears. Today, we are rising, stronger, and we want to fully participate in our country’s reconstruction.
Who is this first edition for? Are you seeking specifically to go beyond the circle of insiders? And what place do you give to the market, to sales and acquisitions?
The event is for everyone, because art is, by its nature, meant for everyone. One of our aims is to broaden the audience and attract people who do not usually visit exhibitions, in order to bring fresh perspectives and to go beyond the limited circle of regulars.
Syria Art Week is also a fair: the works of participating artists are available for purchase. We have invited international collectors to encourage acquisitions and to directly support the artists.
What map of Syrian creativity did you seek to draw? Does the young scene play a central role, or did you favor dialogue between generations, from modern art to contemporary practices?
We chose to spotlight a new generation of talented young Syrian artists. An entire section is dedicated to them, because supporting emerging voices is vital to rebuilding the cultural ecosystem.
At the same time, the fair brings together established artists and pioneers who have shaped the Middle Eastern art scene in recent decades.
The exhibition also embraces a wide variety of media: painting, sculpture, digital art, installation, and photography, to which an entire section is devoted. Marwan Tayara and I designed the main exhibition, while Ammar Abd Rabbo curated the photography section.
Syrian artists have long worked under the weight of censorship and restrictions. Yet creation needs freedom, but also spaces, mobility, and opportunities. What can Syria Art Week concretely bring them?
We are entering a new era and, with Syria Art Week, we want to lead the way and set an example. Syria now needs to become a country where freedom of expression can be fully exercised. Art cannot thrive without spaces for openness, dialogue, and visibility.
This platform can support artists by offering them much wider exposure, both locally and internationally. Our goal is to open doors for them to collaborations, residencies, exchanges, and opportunities that were until now difficult to access. By creating a structured, visible environment, we want to offer them new prospects and help them reconnect with the global art scene.
You have chosen Massar Rose, that imposing unfinished structure near Umayyad Square and inspired by the Damask rose. The venue had already hosted, in 2025, the contemporary art show “Tariq.” What does its architecture offer the works? And should this still-under-construction building be seen as a metaphor for Syria itself?
Massar Rose is an absolutely remarkable place. Its architecture, inspired by the Damask rose, gives it a unique identity: the building opens like a flower, and as the light reflects on the floor throughout the day, it itself becomes a work of art in motion.
This site is not usually open to the public. So it seemed essential to us to open its doors so that Syrians can finally discover it. It is a space of great beauty that deserves to be shown.
Massar Rose remains unfinished, with its raw and rigid walls. This unfinished state strongly echoes the current situation in Syria: a wounded country, in full reconstruction, but turned toward rebirth and a new beginning.
For my part, I have become very personally attached to this place. I love it deeply. Choosing Massar Rose is thus both an aesthetic and symbolic choice: it embodies reconstruction, resilience, and the opening of a new chapter.
Art week has become a global format, from Dubai to Beirut and Paris. How do you avoid simply offering a Syrian version? What does Syria need to regain a unique place on the international art map?
What sets Syria Art Week apart is precisely our desire not to imitate others. We do not want to look like Dubai, Beirut, or Paris. Our ambition is to create an event that reflects our identity, our history, the richness of our culture, and the uniqueness of the Syrian art scene. Syria has exceptional heritage, a visual memory, and a creative tradition all its own: it is this authenticity that we want to highlight.
To regain its place on the international art map, Syria needs a strong, structured, and sustainable cultural ecosystem. That means supporting artists, creating platforms for visibility like Syria Art Week, encouraging international exchanges, and also reconnecting with the habits of attending exhibitions, collecting, and valuing art. We need institutions, spaces, networks, and, above all, a vision.
Syria Art Week can play an essential role in this. Our goal is to lay the first stones of an ecosystem that does not yet exist: a space where artists can show their work, where audiences can reconnect with creation, and where local and international collectors can discover and support the Syrian scene. We want to create a model anchored in our reality, our needs, and our identity, capable of evolving organically.
This is how Syria will reappear on the international cultural map: not by reproducing what exists elsewhere, but by asserting what makes it unique.
You have been preparing this edition since the fall of the Assad regime and working on the project for three months. What have you discovered about Syria today through your work on the ground, given your longstanding knowledge of Arab and international art scenes?
This project has been on my mind since the fall of the Assad regime. It was the first idea I had: to create something ambitious that could create real momentum and draw attention to the Syrian art scene. For the past three months, we have been working relentlessly, day and night, with a whole team that gave their time, energy, and sometimes even their sleep to make this first edition possible. Everyone was committed out of conviction.
It has not been easy. I have found myself running from office to office with printed documents, searching for signatures from people we did not even know, simply because there is no clear administrative system to approve projects of this scale. It is a country in transition, with new authorities, and each day brought its share of challenges. I have never worked on a project as difficult as this.
Someday I will tell all the obstacles, the unexpected events, the moments of doubt and those of determination. These are stories worth sharing, because they speak not only of the complexity of working in Syria today, but also of the resilience and passion behind this initiative.
An event of this scale requires public and private support. Who are its partners? How did your collaboration with the Culture Ministry take shape?
We worked closely with the Culture Ministry to organize the event in September. The ministry was also preparing its annual exhibition, and we wanted our initiatives to reinforce one another. Our long-term ambition is to make September the month of culture and art in Syria. The ministry gave us significant support, and I, for my part, contributed my experience and expertise to the project.
Syria Art Week is supported by several key partners. The European Union delegation is among our main backers, along with local and international institutions. Artopia is our major sponsor. We are also grateful to the Asfari Foundation, Challah Enterprises, and Ibtikar Media and Communication, our media and communication partner, for believing in this project and the necessity of investing in culture. All understand its value and impact.
Finally, we have the honor of welcoming Anne-Claire Legendre, president of the Institut du Monde Arabe, who came from Paris to support this initiative. Her presence marks an important milestone and a strong sign of international recognition.
This interview originally appeared in French on L'Orient-Le Jour.
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