Prior to the war, art in Syria was fostered by the regime, as long as the artists did not criticize the government, or not too openly at least. Although prior to the civil war, the artists were monitored for open criticism of the regime, today the control of artistic expression is more severe. Horrific stories of the torture of local artists opposing the regime have made headlines and demonstrate the absence of any respect for the importance of art as a tool for expressing human thought and emotion. Ali Ferzat, a cartoonist who had been on rather good terms with the Assad regime before the conflict, had both of his arms broken by masked men in Damascus after he made a picture of Bashar al-Assad trying to catch a ride in a car with a fleeing Muammar Qaddafi. Another grave example is that of Ibrahim Qashoush, who wrote a chant, which has become a popular slogan for the revolution. The parents of the composer Malik Jandali were attacked in their home in Homs by men, and also their belongings were looted. The men who attacked them made references to their son who had sent pro-opposition messages through his performances. Recently, the Syrian regime forces arrested artist Youssef Abdelke at a checkpoint in Tartous and the man has not been heard of from since.

Despite the continuous threats, artists continue to examine their thoughts on war, violence and insecurity through their painting, drawing or even music. But the political turmoil is leaving little room for this kind of expression in Syria. Thus, cities around the region such as Beirut and Dubai, and others in Europe are now the main platform for artists fleeing the regime. In the earlier stages of the civil war, artists from endangered parts of the country moved to the relatively safer Damascus to resume their work. But now that the war shows no signs of slowing down, they want to leave Syria for good for fear over their own safety as well as that of their paintings. Syrian art is now taking residence in cities around the world, from Beirut to London to Los Angeles, with a very strong theme of war and violence.

Thus, the subject matter of paintings has been transformed. Themes such as brutality, pain, loss, insecurities and defiance are recurrent in the works of artists, a reflection of the mindset of the Syrian people as a whole. Other paintings echo the importance of nonviolence and national unity. With hardly anyone buying art in today’s Syria, and a number of galleries closing down, the audience for these paintings has become largely non-Syrian. There is no doubt that the interest in contemporary Syrian art around the world is related to the country’s internal war, and it is unfortunate that those suffering the direct impact of the revolution are not in touch with the message that their compatriots are disseminating to the world. It is however that despite the destruction of major cities in Syria along with their art scenes and cultural heritage, the Syrian artwork continues to flourish in exile.