The exhibition of the outcomes of the 'Wa' Youth Forum opened today, Thursday, at the 'Warda Masar' space in Damascus. It features fifty Syrian artists in an initiative that combines painting, sculpture, installation art, and graffiti. The exhibition, organized by the Fine Arts Administration of the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the 'Madd' Visual Arts Collective, aims to provide a space for creativity and experimentation, and will run until the 25th of the current month.
A Space for Creative Sharing and Experimentation
Marwan Tayara, the director of the forum, stated in an interview with the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that the letter 'Wa' carries linguistic and human connotations that bring people and ideas together, reflecting the spirit of community and sharing. He pointed out that the idea for the exhibition began on social media pages, where it received widespread acceptance, leading to a large number of participation requests and expanding the forum to accommodate 50 Syrian artists.
Tayara noted that the completed works varied between paintings, sculptures, and installation art in different sizes, with some reaching about four meters. He emphasized that the forum aims to present contemporary artistic experiences that reflect the aspirations of the young generation of creators in the Syrian cultural landscape.
Artistic Works Touching on Human Issues
For his part, artist Abbas Ta'tou presented a work made of tin, centered on the transition from reality to dreams. He explained that the forum allows young artists the opportunity to showcase their ideas and benefit from support to turn concepts into tangible works. Visual artist Ali Majd participated with a mural titled "The Farce," which was four meters long. It addressed the topics of war and famine from a satirical perspective, using bright acrylic colors to emphasize the idea of hope.
He added that the work belongs to the Expressionist school, where the sky and illuminated spaces symbolized openness and hope, while the color red indicated violence and the tragedies of war. Artist Sofia Jarmaani also presented a graffiti work on a wall that took seven days to complete, expressing an internal psychological state by employing white, black, and red to signify emptiness and a vortex.
Art as a Space for Dialogue and Breaking Constraints
In the same context, artist Ali Rustum displayed a work consisting of two parts titled "Janzir" (Chain). Inspired by reality, it embodied a transitional stage related to the idea of liberation from prison and constraints. He used oil colors on his canvas, including purple and red, to create a contrast between the feeling of heat and cold, thereby adding a dramatic dimension and cinematic lighting to the work.
The forum constitutes a vibrant space for supporting emerging talents and exchanging experiences among artists, providing them with the opportunity to experiment and display their results to the public. This contributes to enhancing the presence of youth within the Syrian cultural and artistic landscape, and enriching the plastic arts movement with new ideas and visions that express the aspirations of an entire generation of creators.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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