Expression and communication of political traumas on canvas : traumatized Syrian painters in Beirut

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Graduate School of Social Sciences

Master thesis

Expression and Communication of Political Traumas on Canvas:

Traumatized Syrian Painters in Beirut

Political Science: Specialisation Track: International Relations

Research Project: Researching the Middle East: Power, Politics and Change

June 23, 2017

Author

Supervisor

Second reader

Claudine Theisen

Dr. Vivienne Matthies-Boon

Dr. Jeroen Doomernik

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The crucial role of these “activist-artists” expressing their anger, frustration, resistance and opposition in a peaceful way was shown before (Cooke, 2016; Pearlman, 2016). As street artists, they challenged the dictatorial government by triggering critical public education, contestation and democratic participation (Cooke, 2016). At the beginning of the revolutions, “art” was a safe and effective way to mobilize especially the young Syrian population and to spread information also to the rest of the world (Cooke, 2016). Thus, the impact of activist-artists in the Syrian revolution seems clear, but it remains elusive what role refugee painters play in their respective host countries. Furthermore, the question remains whether painting the traumas experienced during the revolution and the resulting political instability and oppression enforces the healing process. New art movements popping up during revolution and wartime occurred before, but it is not clear what this new art movement conceals behind the canvas. In this study, contemporary Syrian painters living in their hosting country Lebanon were interviewed to investigate their role for the outer world and to assess the beneficial effect painting has on these traumatized artists.

In mid-March 2011, the Syrian revolution was initiated by youths that sprayed anti-Assad slogans on a school, in the hope to be as successful in overthrowing the government as some of their neighbouring countries affected by the Arab Spring (Cooke, 2016). After being ruled for four decades by the oppressive Syrian government, this revolution was highly important for the protestors, being now able to finally ask for dignity, freedom of expression, liberation from oppression and justice. Yet, it soon became obvious that the Syrian government would not be willing to listen to these requests. Instead, it answered with violence by stopping protests with shootings, by detaining people who challenged the political point of views of the government and by torturing detainees to death (Cooke, 2016). The revolution has become a protracted conflict which lasts until today: after six years of conflicts, the majority of Syrian citizens are still asking for President Bashar al Assad’s resignation. Many Syrians insist to continue to term this conflict “a revolution” as it started with a revolution which is not yet accomplished for them. The term of ‘protracted conflict’ will be used throughout this thesis to describe this conflict shaped by the dramatic escalation of violence and by the involvement of numerous world powers. This protracted conflict has resulted in approximately 13.500.000 people in need, 6.500.000 displaced within Syria (UNICEF, 2017) and 4.8 million refugees in the neighbouring countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey (UNHCR, 2017). WHO (2017) estimates that one in five Syrians has moderate mental health issues and that one in thirteen is at risk to develop severe or acute mental

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health needs. With an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, Lebanon is the third most affected country by the Syrian refugee influx (UNICEF, 2017). There are two ways how to enter Lebanon: either by registering with the UNHCR or by asking for a residence permit as a working person (Janmyr, 2016). The interviewed Syrian artists entered the country via the second option. In the meantime, Beirut known as Paris from the Middle East with its ambiance of vibrant creativity has become the de facto capital of the Syrian contemporary art scene. During the period from 2013 to 2015, war-related artwork of Syrian artists was shown in every gallery in Beirut (B1 & B2, interviews). Nowadays, the demand for Syrian artists is decreasing in Beirut as the Lebanese art market is saturated. Nevertheless, there are still some Syrian artists left who live and exhibit in Beirut. The paintings of the Syrian artists are very figurative and symbolic in representing the social and political effects from the protracted conflict. Thus, the hypothesis of this thesis is that authoritarian governments and protracted conflicts have a severe impact on painters, which in turn attempt to use art to deliver a message to the outer world and to cope with the trauma of the revolution.

This thesis will be structured as follows: a literature review which outlines different concepts of how to link art work with international relation and what its influences on its political and social environment are. It is followed by a critical review on art as a coping mechanism in trauma therapies. The literature review reveals knowledge gaps about the impact paintings might have on the social and political environment, and especially on the artists’ feeling of well-being. The following section provides the theoretical framework and the justification for doing a case study and ethnographic field work based on semi-structured interviews and observations. The final part includes the empirical analysis and concluding remarks revealing the three main purposes of painting, and how these effects can have a political influence.

Thus, political and psychological aspects of painting will be considered. It will be shown that paintings with individual perspectives on historical political events are essential testimonies in a sense that they are an alternative way of documenting political upheavals and historical events that involve emotions. Last but not least, paintings shape and deepen our understanding of the events related to the Syrian protracted conflict and the migration situation in Lebanon.

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7 2. Literature Review

Many studies analyse artistic objects and behaviours from a social, educational, psychological and humanitarian point of view (McNiff, 2011). Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies investigating the role of paintings in the context of political conflicts and war. The paintings might change in parallel with the political and social situations with appearing and disappearing structures, symbols, and messages. In the upcoming paragraphs, painting will be set in the political context in which its important role throughout the history will be explained. Furthermore, the role of art in trauma therapy as a coping mechanism will be outlined.

2.1 Art in the Political Context

In the contemporary art scene, the debate whether art is political or whether it is just an aesthetical pleasure, is ongoing. Benjamin Walter and Herbert Marcuse are pioneers of putting contemporary aesthetics in a political context. Benjamin (1976) argues that historical circumstances determine the medium of the artwork and the way humans will interpret it. Furthermore, he explains that art is absolutely unique due to the temporal and spatial uniqueness of the influencing historical circumstances. In addition, Marcuse (1978) sees potential in art of being political in the aesthetic form as such. He explains the aesthetics of art as being political and revolutionary as art can be radical (1) in the change of style and technique, and (2) in representing the fate of individuals, prevailing unfreedom and rebelling forces by breaking social reality and opening the horizon of change. The presentation of revolutionary art depends on the social structure artists are confronted with. This can be the distribution of oppression among the population, the compositing and power of ruling class, and the given opportunity for a radical social restructuring (Marcuse, 1978). In this sense, Marcuse argues that art is unfree and hereby political, because it exists to contradict the suppression of the environment. Peters (2015) notices that art is not imperatively political. According to him, the personal background of the beholder decides whether it triggers a social, political or purely aesthetic interpretation. Thus, it cannot be divided from the lived context of the individual. Brocklehurst (1999) illustrates that it depends on both, the artist and the beholder, whether the artwork will be recognized as political or not. He states that aesthetics is about how the body senses the reality and translates it on canvas. Only if the beholder recognizes similar feelings in the canvas, he can get emotionally involved. Aesthetical beauty refers to the personal experience that results in an individual connection to the painting (Brocklehurst, 1999). If the beholder cannot establish a personal connection to a piece of art, it will not be political for him even if the artist intended the painting to be political.

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8 2.1.1 Influential Effects of Art

Art is not only influenced by its environment; the environment is influenced by art as well. Peters (2015) suggests to also examine the effect of paintings in the social change instead of focusing only on their response to political conditions. In this context, art is not only about aesthetical beauty, but also needs an intellectual reflection. In his Essay “Artwork essay”, Benjamin (1976) reinterprets aesthetical history in a materialistic perspective in terms of reproduction mainly by photography and film. According to Benjamin (1976) art has to use the available mediations and tools of its context to reflect the reality and to present it to the audience. This depends, as mentioned above, on its current political and social environment. In contrary, Marcuse (1978) says that art should not mirror the reality, it should rather add something new. He (1978, p. 72) states this with the following statement: “The encounter with the truth of art happens in the estranging language and images which make perceptible, visible, and audible that which is no longer, or not yet, perceived, said and heard in everyday life”. Only in this way awareness and attention can get evoked. According to Kundera (1997) exhibitions have more influence on the audience than images in daily news media. The beholder of war and migration reports is exposed too shortly to images of suffering to be emotionally effected in a long term (Kundera, 1997). Furthermore, repetitive exposure to media images of violence may desensitize and disengage the viewer, rather than evoke engagement and empathy (Kleinman and Kleinman, 1996). Contrarily, exhibitions provide longer exposure and therefore have more power to exert influence on someone. The repetitive daily news about the horrors of the Syrian war may have led to a saturation and limited absorbability of the audience. As mentioned above, representing the topic through an indirect medium which demands intellectual and critical reflexion, may lead to renewed attention (Shapiro, 2008; Winegar 2008). The duty of art is to awaken the mass audience by triggering a shock effect which will be remembered by the individual (Pold, 1999). Shapiro (2008) suggests that the title of an exhibition or a piece of art can trigger off public discussions and critical reflection. Peters (2015) explains that politics do often undermine the reception, or underestimate the intellect and sensibilities of the artworks’ audience. In this sense, he suggests that artists should be seen as public figures, social agents and cultural intellectuals. Peters (2015) proposes that both the artist and the audience should participate in culture to show critical questioning that creates space for a public discussion of certain subjects.

Similar to international relations, paintings tempt to explain an event or process with competing ideas and perspectives (Brocklehurst, 1999). In international relations, humans try to understand men as moral beings, whose actions and reactions can be explained by their existence (Morgenthau, 1967). Morgenthau (1967) states that international relations have to confront the political actions and way of thinking with careful judgment and truth. Rationalists in international relations, such as

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Morgenthau, explain that this is the central concept around which politics of power should be established. But because actions cannot always be explained as being rational, international relations are not as easy to explain as some theorists try to do. Brocklehurst (1999) states that explaining certain political actions in international relations is as complex as painting them. Guernica painted by Pablo Picasso in 1937 illustrates the influence of war on art. It depicts the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, and has nowadays become the symbol for the general impeachment against the terror of war (Etschmann et al., 2004). Wix (2010) refers to the aspect that contemporary art often deals with the past and history of an individual or society. Paintings can document the happenings and can be helpful in better understanding the causes of these happenings by illustrating them from a different perspective. Brocklehurst (1999, p.315) states: “Paintings have throughout history played a part in teaching people about political and social values”.

2.1.2 Art Movement during Wartime

Looking back to the art history during World War II, surrealist artists participated in the revolution by responding to radical politics with radical art (Sylvester, 1999). The radical art of surrealism has mainly been established in the United States by European intellectuals who fled from the war (Sylvester, 1999). Surrealism (1924-1940) is a period in which artists such as Salvador Dali used symbols from the state of unconsciousness (dreams) and reality to depict wonder, imagination and politics (Etschmann et al., 2004). Their main objective was to release thought-provoking impulses and revolve thought patterns and society customs (Etschmann et al., 2004). It was challenging for these emigrant artists to travel with their ideas and their artwork to new places as their ideas were not always welcome and could evoke a strong negative reaction in the general public (Sylvester, 1999). Therefore, the ethics of international relations were an additional obstacle for these surrealists, who had to respect the sovereignty of their hosting country in their art. Nevertheless, these artists, influenced by the war, felt responsible for being part of the social upheavals with their artwork, wherever they were in the world. Sylvester (1999) states that during World War II it was less about studying international ethics and discuss the shape of a just world order, rather than portraying the battle about surviving in the daily struggle of ‘life and death’. The consequences were that artists whose paintings did not offer comfort and encouragement in World War I and II suffered from many government restrictions and bans (Brocklehurst, 1999). Therefore, many artists painted on request of the higher society, mainly related to the army and the government, which asked them to depict the many losses of soldiers in the war in a glorifying way. Those who refused and painted not only the death and the cruelty of the war were often not financially supported. Some painted the beauty of the landscape and the society, which was interpreted by Brocklehurst (1999) as being also political by depicting the ridiculousness of the war. Even though, artists are mainly independent in countries in the Middle East, they are facing similar

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restrictions and bans on a daily basis. Long-lasting oppression of authoritarian regimes has highly affected their artwork for decades by dictating them the limits on freedom of expression (Pearlman, 2016). Winegar (2008) shows that artists from the Middle East often emphasise critique about their contemporary gender discriminations, religious and political oppression. Only since 9/11 the Western art scene became more aware about artists from the Middle East and started to exhibit their artwork (Winegar, 2008). Winegar (2008) states that people asked for a different representation of the Middle East than the daily news media did.

To summarize and according to Brocklehurst (1999) paintings are an emotional and intellectual satisfying tool of communication. By depicting political and social issues in a different way, paintings elicit critical reflection which increases the awareness of the general public and create political discussions.

2.1.3 Artistical Expression in Political Trauma

There is evidence that some well-known contemporary artists have used art not only for the purpose of aesthetic pleasure for the public, but as well for their own well-being. Marxen (2011) reveals that artists do suffer from terrible effects of dictatorship and censorship, which affects creative potential, limiting their expression and capacity for symbolization, with the consequences of mental health issues. In such cases artwork is used as a treatment for “political pain”. According to Picasso, artistic work has the purpose that the artist overcomes his fears by imaging and expressing them (Appleton, 2001). Marxen (2011) refers to several artists such as Eva Hesse who suffered from traumas of exile and family tragedies during the Holocaust. She used the artistic expression of pain in paintings for her own personal recovery. She stated that practicing art was rather a necessity to survive than a joyful activity (Marxen, 2011). Marxen (2011) suggests that life and art are completely interdependent. Nancy Spero was as well a war-affected artist who painted about abuse, torture, suffering and pain of women in war (Marxen, 2011). In her paintings, the colours symbolised her state of feeling. Dark colours indicated her fatigue and anger. These two artists produce art with the only purpose to provide themselves with a better psychological state. Though, Marxen (2009) suggests to clearly distinguish between artwork in contemporary art and artwork for therapeutic purposes. While art therapy clients do artwork solely for themselves, the artist does it for himself too but especially for his audience. 2.2 Different Trauma Concepts

Different trauma concepts exist to differ between individual and collective trauma. In the upcoming paragraphs two different concepts of trauma, individual and collective trauma, will be outlined.

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11 2.2.1 Individual Trauma

Trauma is often defined as an unexpected and severe experience (Janoff-Bulman, 1992; Stolorow, 2013). Traumatic experiences can be sudden losses, accidents, unexpected violence, confrontation to death, and many more. These experiences imply severe emotional pain, which can provoke a trauma. The development of a trauma is an experience of unbearable affect in an intersubjective context (Stolorow, 2013). Trauma is an intersubjective conception as it is based on social foundations of the individual’s worldview and on a meaning-making process (Matthies-Boon, 2017; Stolorow, 2013). The emotional experience endangers the individual to question the sense of his existence and his social foundations which may maintain a feeling of apathy (Stolorow, 2011). Stolorow (2013, p.5) describes his experience after a traumatic event (sudden loss of his wife) as “the significance of my everyday professional world had collapsed into meaninglessness”. Experiencing traumatic events result in a shattered worldview where fundamental believes and values vanish. In consequence, although “only” witnessing a traumatic event of another person can shatter the belief in safety, security and self-preservation. According to Janoff-Bulman (1992) humans develop basic concepts and assumptions during childhood which are crucial for orientation in the environment and which may be disturbed when traumatic events occur. This assumptive world theory has three main assumptions: 1. The world is benevolent; 2. The world is meaningful; 3. The self is worthy (Janoff-Bulman, 1992, p. 6). According to this, humans are socialised into believing the good and are generally optimistic regarding their life course. They attribute the experience of badness to their own or to another person’s behaviour and actions. Therefore, bad experiences are reasonable and integrated in a context which gives them a meaning again. These assumptions suggest that we are able to understand what we are experiencing. The assumption that the self is worthy underlines human exaggerated conviction of their own goodness and worthiness of their own success. These assumptions may let humans underestimate the risk of experiencing bad and traumatic events. The consequences of having experienced a trauma are often long-lasting.

Psychopathological symptoms occur in trauma victims that developed a post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) (Janoff-Bulman, 1992). The American Psychiatric Association (2013) determines following DSM-5 criteria that victims require to fit into this concept: exposed to death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence. PTSD syndromes are commonly measured among torture survivors, refugees and war-affected populations because of the losses of functioning, safety, property, cultural, and community connections (Higson-Smith, 2013). These must be directly or indirectly when witnessing the trauma of another individual. Symptoms of PTSD are – amongst unspecific symptoms like depression, emotional numbness, anxiety, isolation and sleep disturbances – especially re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event

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(flashbacks) and nightmares (Janoff-Bulman, 1992). These PTSD symptoms create distress or functional impairment, such as social withdrawal (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Yet, the concept of PTSD lacks of emphasizing severe psychological consequences by ignoring phenomenological accounts that provide insights into the experiences of trauma (Bracken, 2002; Higson-Smith, 2013; Matthies-Boon, 2017). Hereby, the concept of psychiatry and psychology is criticized since they are focusing on a breakdown in the meaning of things as a scientific problem (Bracken, 2002). Though, the concept of PTSD refers only to one single physical traumatic event that happened in the past (Kira et al, 2008). It ignores that refugees and war-affected populations are suffering on a specific period from several traumas.

2.2.2 Ongoing Collective Trauma in Conflict Areas

Since trauma victims from war zones and conflict areas are experiencing a long-term traumatic experience in a different extent than trauma patients living in a safe environment, a different concept of trauma has been established. The concept of continuous traumatic stress (CTS) differs from the concept of trauma in a sense that it does not only refer to a single event but rather long lasting political violence, oppression or persecution (Eagle and Kaminer, 2013). Originally, it was developed by psychologists during the time of apartheid in South Africa in the context of social conflicts and political violence (Straker, 2013). They tried to establish a concept for regions with very different conditions compared to the global North, where maladaptive symptoms are addressed in a therapeutic setting in socially and politically safe contexts (Matthies-Boon, 2017).

Eagle and Kaminer (2013) suggest that victims experiencing CTS are constantly dealing with maintaining their psychological resources to cope with the realistic likelihood of facing another loss or violence in near future. They are potentially exposed to death and loss on a daily basis. Besides, Miller and Rasmussen (2010) underline that the psychological impact of war-affected populations includes unfavourable material conditions, for example the impeded access to daily basic needs, which can be seen as daily stressors. Therefore, dealing with their past is less indicated than dealing with the current situation. Daily stressors such as long-lasting poverty, unemployment, famine, crowded shelter and inadequate medical care can facilitate the development of severe traumas (Kira, 2001). Miller and Rasmussen (2010) illustrate that these are as well daily stressors for displaced ethnic groups in developed nations. Furthermore, divisions within communities but as well forced displacement and separation from their family and friends leads to destruction of their trustful social networks (Miller and Rasmussen, 2010). In the Syrian case, one could rather talk about a continuous political trauma stressor, since the protracted conflict is based on different political beliefs. Political trauma is used in several studies (Carter, 2007; Jackson and Seeman, 2008; Weiss, 2010), but literature still lacks a clear definition. Mostly the term is very vaguely explained and refers to race and religious trauma (Carter,

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2007; Jackson and Seeman, 2008). Post-migration or exile-related stressors, such as social isolation, unemployment and discrimination, may lead to mental issues and PTSD symptoms (Steel et al., 1999). The structural ongoing impacts of an environment where reinterpretation of fundamental assumptions and reintegration in a society is not possible results in the belief in an uncertain present and future (Higson-Smith, 2013). This is problematic since reinterpretation and reintegration are fundamental to being able to cope and overcome the traumatic experiences.

2.3 Coping Mechanism

Coping methods and mechanisms are interindividual in their nature and effectiveness (Bonanno, 2004; Overcash et al., 1996). One method is a cognitive reorientation during which the negative beliefs induced by the trauma are overcome and reinterpreted (Overcash et al., 1996). Harris and colleagues (2010) define the coping mechanism with trauma as a substantial cognitive-emotional task that is able to translate terrible experiences into personal strength and new opportunities. Bonanno (2004) states that some individuals are able to increase their adaptiveness to an uncontrollable situation by changing their behaviour during a stressful situation while putting the crisis into a positive light which has positive effects on coping efforts. It is important that the individual, while coping with the trauma, develops a meaning of the experience which gives the trauma a sense. Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) define this ability as posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth is neither a healing process, since healing is disputed in this subject, nor a process to return to the baseline. It is rather an improvement that the victim is experiencing due to his or her restructured worldview and assumptions. According to Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) posttraumatic growth goes beyond being resistant and adapting to the circumstances. Growth is defined as a process in which victims are trying to rebuild their shattered assumptions of the world and themselves in a different way and to be able to take something positive out of it. In other words, it is a meaning-making process which leads to a personal change that can be rated in the following five main domains: 1. greater appreciation of life and changed sense of priorities; 2. more intimate relationships; 3. personal strength; 4. recognition of new possibilities or paths for one’s life; 5. spiritual development (Tedeschi and Calhoun, 1996). However, it needs certain tools to be able to transform posttraumatic growth out of a trauma. According to Janoff-Bulman (1992) victims’ coping comprises two evaluative systems: 1. the cognitive/emotional system and 2. the rational/ experiential system. These systems are often in a cognitive dilemma because of the anxiety and distrustfulness regarding the new assumptions. In case of a successful coping strategy, both the cognitive and emotional evaluative systems are in balance. The emotional pain is reduced and the worldview is rebuilt, even though, not anymore in the same optimistic way. The way to achieve this balance differs between individuals. Overcash and colleagues (1996) illustrate that religious beliefs can be supportive in the coping process. They might be more stable than empirical assumptions about the

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world that are shattered by a trauma (Overcash et al. 1996). Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) suggest that the narrative role in this process is helpful. Victims can talk about their experiences and their changes and discuss new perspectives that could get integrated in the schema. Art can be an additional support to express their experiences (Van Lith, 2015; Bergh and Sloboda, 2010; Stuckey and Nobel, 2010). 2.4 Art Therapy

Art is used in several clinical settings as a tool to destress patients. Art activities have different positive effects on a person such as on self-discovery and self-expression, along with social relationships and social identity (Van Lith, 2015). It is an ongoing process of exploration of oneself which triggers reflection on the art object and oneself which allows to find new self-insights (Van Lith, 2015). Art therapy with visual arts such as painting is very common and often used in western therapies in a clinical setting (Van Lith, 2015). Art therapy is used to achieve posttraumatic growth to overcome internal barriers (Van Lith, 2015) by expressing grief and intense negative emotions (Stuckey and Nobel, 2010). It is evident that imagery-specific techniques can support cognitive reorientation for patients that are suffering from ongoing trauma (Appleton, 2001; Becker, 2015). Yet, during the art-creating process, consciousness and attentiveness to their experiences is essential for art creators for being able to represent them in symbols and colours (Van Lith, 2015). Colour is a tool to communicate different meanings and moods, with red standing for danger, green for hope and black for sadness (Krees and Van Leeuwen, 2002). According to Krees and Van Leeuwen (2002), light and dark colours can be compared with good and bad experiences in lives of human beings. Huss and colleagues (2010) state that it is possible to identify signs of stress and unwell-being in the content and in the form of a composition of an artwork. Creative arts, such as drawing, have been effective for people suffering from traumatic war situations in counteracting the symptoms of stress (Huss et al., 2010). Besides, addressing the symbolic manifestation of traumatic experience it helps for more positive reinterpretation (Appleton, 2001; Huss et al., 2010). Huss and colleagues (2010) suggest an intervention model about the practise of drawing for professionals in war areas. They reveal that drawing provides a clear, inexpensive, and easily implemented tool for stress reduction and self-care in war and trauma situations. Common contents in paintings from war affected social workers were the fear of being bombed, loss of a basic sense of safety in one’s familiar environment, anxiety and fear over danger to loved ones in the war and constant exposure to war-related news (Huss et al., 2010). The symbolic characteristics for these are the following five elements (Huss et al.,2010): (1) single objects taking up the whole page; (2) dissociation (ex.: drawing people without faces); (3) encapsulation of objects (as can be seen in divisions in the paintings); (4) fragmentation and flooding, and (5) jagged lines (expressing rigidity and aggression). Identifying these symbols and contents on oneself is part of self-care and is essential in enabling self-monitoring (Cwikel et al., 1993). Appleton

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(2001) outlines that the creation of arts and putting thoughts into comprehensible forms releases satisfaction and calmness in a person. Furthermore, art has similar effects like verbal narratives. Yet, in contrast to verbal narratives, visual art can express emotions which cannot be verbally expressed adequately (Appleton, 2001; Stuckey and Nobel, 2010). Besides, the symbolic and indirect expression causes less anxiety and provides more security than the direct verbal communication (Marxen, 2011). Stuckey and Nobel (2010) claim that art supports individuals to overcome their role as a victim which also strengthens emotional wellbeing (Thompson, 2009; Van Lith, 2015). The art producing process is a steadily challenging process of meaning-making and knowledge which leads to a natural unfolding healing (Allen, 2008). Garland and colleagues (2007) state that the awareness of the creative process allows for opening possibilities and changes in behaviour and assumptions that may not have been emphasized previously. Non-verbal therapy approaches are an essential supplement to traditional verbal therapies since many symptoms have strong somatic features (Koch and Weidinger-von der Recke, 2009, p.7). Yet, the reported evidence has a major limitation, since it was conducted in the clinical context with the supervision of professionals who may not be accessible in political crisis and war areas. Since Marxen (2009, 2011) has shown that war affected artists from World War II used painting as a tool for their own well-being, it will be argued in this thesis that the simple practice of painting has a positive effect on artists affected by the Syrian protracted conflict.

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16 3. Theoretical Framework

The literature review identifies several theoretical gaps this research project will attempt to close. First, there is a lack of studies regarding the impact of paintings during war times on politics and the society. Most of the explained concepts try only to explain the connection to international relations rather than focusing on the impact of art itself. The studies that do focus on the impact mainly refer to visual art media such as pictures and movies but not to classical paintings. Yet, it is necessary to stress their importance in this context. Second, studies lack a clear definition of political trauma and the simple effect of well-being while painting. In the upcoming paragraph, the definition of political trauma will be illustrated and referred to artists’ paintings.

3.1 Contemporary Syrian Paintings as a Communication Tool in a Protracted Conflict

In this paper, it will be assessed whether the theory holds truth, and the paintings finalized before the Syrian revolution will be compared with those painted during this protracted conflict. Thus, the objective is to proof that paintings created in a country with long-lasting oppression differ from those created in countries in which people suffer less from oppression, such as Lebanon, which has been hypothesized by Marcuse (1978). Since Syrian artists fled from Syria where the population has been oppressed for decades (Pearlman, 2016), their artwork can be investigated based on a possible change after their migration to Lebanon.

The argument is that both, international relations and Syrian contemporary artists try to understand the causes and seek for solutions. Here, the bridge from paintings to international relations will be based on following two theories: (1) theory of “ideas” in the world of politics and arts (Brocklehurst, 1999; Morgenthau, 1967; Sylvester, 1999); (2) the search of cause, effect and solution (Brocklehurst, 1999; Morgenthau, 1967). According to the theory of “ideas” in international relations, actions of every nation serve its own interest (Morgenthau, 1967). In international relations and in paintings individuals have their own perspective on a specific subject and deal with it based on their own interests. Given the influence of the social and political environment on their art work (Benjamin, 1976; Marcuse, 1978) artists may mainly paint about social and political issues in their home country from their own perspective. Artists document current issues in their own individual perspective to be able to understand the protracted conflict in analysing the actions and reaction in its political and social environment. Also, the beholder might find solutions by being presented a different perspective on the subject. This will be adopted by interpreting the paintings of the author himself and interviewing the artists. Here, the connection to the surrealism movement (Sylvester, 1999) will be made by assessing that both movements trigger thought-provoking impulses in the beholder. The author will analyse what impact the paintings have on himself. The question if they are thought-provoking and if the beholder needs a certain intellectual background to understand the meaning and message of the

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paintings will be dealt with. By not being only an aesthetical pleasure for the public, but by evoking critical reflection on current subjects in society and politics the main aim of arts might be to create awareness and reaction. According to Kundera (1997), paintings might be an artistic weapon to change politics. Kundera’s theory will be continued with that of Brocklehurst (1999), hypothesizing that paintings are emotional and should release empathy in the beholder. By releasing empathy in the beholder this theory might become active in putting pressure on its local politicians by demonstrating. An in-depth analysis of this concept applied to the paintings would overreach the purpose of the thesis, but it was discussed with the Syrian artists and art critics in what extent they think that art is more powerful than daily media. The author will analyse whether the paintings had an emotional effect on himself by triggering empathy.

By showing that the Syrian artists have been strongly affected by the conflict in their paintings and that they are trying to spread their own perspectives to find the cause and solution, it would reveal that their paintings are highly important as testimonies for history. Furthermore, they would be important to politics in a sense that they can shape the understanding of the beholders on the protracted conflict and migration to Lebanon. This can trigger sensitive political discussions in public by beholders who are aware of the issue from a new perspective.

3.2 Art as a Coping Strategy in Political Conflicts

In this study, the reasoning for the change in the paintings will be additionally referred to the impacts of a conflict on the personal mental well-being of the artists. Hereby, the concept of “political pain” from dictatorship and censorship (Marxen, 2011) will be continued with the trauma concept of “shattered world-views” (Janoff-Bulman, 1992; Matthies-Boon, 2017; Stolorow, 2013). By conducting the interviews and listening to the narratives of the interviewees it will be analysed whether the artists are suffering from traumatic experiences. Furthermore, the concept of symbols (Huss et al., 2010; Marxen, 2011) and colours (Kress and Van Leeuwen, 2002) will be applied to be able to analyse their state of unwell-being in their paintings. By putting their traumas in the context of the Syrian protracted conflict and their migration to Lebanon, the concept of continuous traumatic stress (CTS) that is based on long-lasting political violence, oppression or prosecution (Eagle and Kaminer, 2013; Matthies-Boon, 2017; Miller and Rasmussen, 2010; Straker, 2013), is reinterpreted into a political trauma. The term of political trauma presumes that they are mainly suffering from the division of political beliefs and the rejection policy from both countries, Syria and Lebanon. This concept will be elaborated by including following characteristics which are mainly based on the reasons for the refugee wave named by UNHCR (2017): lack on freedom of expression, experience of political upheavals, suffering from violence and detention by the regime and military in case of political differences, exposure to bombs and shootings, violation of human rights and forced displacement. After having defined political trauma, Tedeschi and

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Calhoun’s (1996) concept of posttraumatic growth (PTG) will be reinterpreted. In the case of an ongoing political trauma which many displaced Syrian’s are experiencing, the effects of PTG may be realized already during the traumatic experiences. The process of drawing during the traumatic experiences might be able to trigger PTG, and to improve the process of reinterpretation and reintegration. Shortly, the concept of art therapy in a clinical environment (Appleton, 2001; Becker, 2015; Thompson, 2009; Van Lith, 2015) will be rejected and reinterpreted as a self-monitoring concept which is similar to the treatment of “political pain” (Marxen, 2011).

This new theory would be important to be able to connect their individual pain to their expression in their paintings which may have more influence by releasing empathy in the beholders and becoming more critical towards the political situation. Furthermore, it shows their political pain with which they may want to raise awareness to get support and help from the outer world.

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19 4. Material and Methods

The theoretical framework creates the following assumptions: (1) artwork has changed through the experiences in the war, (2) paintings have an influence on their environment by looking for causes and solutions based on their own ideas, and (3) drawing serves as a coping mechanism in order to deal with stressful experiences and memories of wartime in Syria. The aim of the upcoming chapter is to explain the methodological approaches applied to implement the theory and be able to answer the hypothesis. This chapter comprises three subchapters: (1) the applied methodology, (2) the methods used for data collection and (3) the data analyses.

4.1 Methodological Framework 4.1.1 Case Study

A qualitative descriptive single case study was applied to investigate the specific role of Syrian contemporary artists who fled from the ongoing Syrian protracted conflict and immigrated to Beirut. According to Yin (2003, p.13) a case study is defined as “an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident”. In the present thesis, the contemporary Syrian art is the phenomenon which is taking place in the real-life context. Because of the complexity of the six-years-lasting Syrian conflict and the long-lasting oppression of the Syrian population before the uprisings in 2011, an in-depth investigation on the basis of a case study is demanded. It will be discussed how the Syrian artwork has developed and changed during the past years of conflict. The long-lasting oppression of the authoritarian Syrian government might have influenced artists in their drawings since a long time. A descriptive case study based on ethnographic observation and interviews is applied in order to investigate the artist’s paintings, and their political and social environment in the hosting country Lebanon. More than 1.5 Million Syrian refugees have been registered by UNICEF (UNICEF, 2017) in Beirut, which is known as the hot spot for the Middle Eastern art scene (Artscoops, 2016). The wave of Syrian artists arriving in Beirut came along with the refugee wave. In the case of Syrian minority in Beirut, it is essential to understand what they seek to achieve with their artwork. Furthermore, it should help to understand whether they are painting for the sake of aesthetical pleasure for the audience or for themselves. Due to the uniqueness of the Syrian conflict and its context, there is no other case with whom it could be compared. Therefore, a single case study is an adequate method for this research project.

4.1.2 Ethnographic Field Work

In an ethnographic study, the investigator spends time in a social setting to observe a phenomenon of a social group (Bryman, 2012). The author spent one month from April to May 2017 in Beirut (Lebanon)

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in the neighbourhood of Mar Mikhael and Gemmayze, two areas where many Syrian artists have settled down. Here, small galleries are trying to promote unknown international artists. The author visited several galleries and open work spaces for artists from the Lebanese and Syrian art scene with whom the author had many conversations. At the beginning, it was difficult to find interviewees, since the artists ignored the emails of the author or responded by explaining that they had no interest in participating. Only by having several conversations with people from the art scene it became clear that the subject of Syrian artists depicting the cruelty of the Syrian war, was saturated and that many artists were not willing to do interviews anymore. The peak time of Syrian contemporary art exhibitions was between 2013 and 2015 in Lebanon. The gallerists and journalists sold this new unknown art as being art coming from a war zone. Some of them feel offended by the fact that only now the international community becomes aware to their artwork, but only connect it with cruelty. This explains as well why the initial idea to investigate an art residency in Alley for Syrian artists searching a refuge from their traumatized experiences in the conflict, did not work out in the end. By visiting this residency, it became clear that the concept had changed in the meantime, because the Lebanese had no interest anymore in this art movement and stopped funding. This was very important for the author to acknowledge to be able to continue the field work by being more sensible towards this topic. Thus, the topic of the thesis changed from the previous researches in the sense that this work now focuses on the development of the paintings in different life phases and what effects it has on the artist himself and his or her environment.

Especially two art critics provided important background information to put the Syrian contemporary artwork into the migration context. On the one hand, this helped to get in touch with more Syrian artists; on the other hand, it helped understanding the development of the Syrian contemporary art scene in Beirut. By spending time with some artists, the author got an insight to their living conditions, integration and the way they are expressing their current situation in their paintings. Thereby, the individual artwork and the emotional state of the artists were of special interest, since the main focus of this thesis is on how the artists’ social and political environment influences them and vice versa. In order to understand the message provided in their artwork, phenomenology which refers to a descriptive approach for understanding a phenomenon (Giorgi, 2012) has been applied. A qualitative phenomenology approach enables to describe (1) how the artist expresses himself via art, (2) the result of the art creation, and (3) the effect of art on the beholder. This concept was applied with Spradley’s (1980) concept who focuses on three resources in ethnographic research, namely (1) what people say, (2) the way people act, and (3) the artefacts people use. In order to cover these three resources, semi-structured interviews and observations were combined for data collection. The artists were

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surprisingly open in the interviews by giving the author a deep insight into their life stories and their personal traumatic experiences.

The author is part of the process in an ethnographic field work, which can negatively or positively affect the research. In this case, the presence of the author added a positive effect as the interviewees felt more confident to talk to a stranger who is neither Syrian nor Lebanese. The language was sometimes an obstacle, because the author did not speak Arabic. The paintings were hereby a great help. Through their drawings and the interpretation of the author that was discussed in the interviews a new communication tool was created that simplified the language obstacle. To fully understand a situation, attention to character and circumstances as well as empathy and knowledge of cultural context are demanded (Beatty, 2010). It becomes clear that such approaches are very time-consuming. Since the present study took place during a single month, analyses were limited.

4.2 Data Collection

Inclusion criteria for the participants in the present study were the following: (1) Syrian citizenship, (2) direct experience of the war in Syria, (3) being an artist in drawings and paintings at regular intervals, (4) living in Lebanon, (5) at least 18 years old. Since the interviews with the artists were very time-consuming and intense only a small sample (N=8) was chosen. The age of the artists ranged from twenty-four to forty years. The two art critics were included as a reference to their statements how Syrian contemporary art has changed. Yet, (1) was not applied to the two art critics. One Syrian and one Lebanese art critic were chosen to be able to see the change of the Syrian contemporary art from different perspectives, once from the national perspective and once from the perceptive of the hosting country. The small number of interviewees is applicable in the phenomenological approach since only a single phenomenon which is shared by every interviewee is examined (Clegg, 2006). Their degree of popularity in the art scene was not important, since individual expressions were focussed on.

By doing an online research on Syrian artists in Lebanon, some painters complying with the previous mentioned criterions were identified. They were contacted via Facebook and galleries. Emails were sent in which information about the research project was provided. It was difficult at the beginning to find interviewees from distance, while still being in Amsterdam. Therefore, artists were recruited as well during the author’s stay in Beirut by visiting art galleries and participating in artistic events provided by local art communities. This was important at the beginning of the field work, to get a general overview about the art scene in Beirut. This triggered a snow ball effect, which means that people that the author talked to provided additional contacts of Syrian painters.

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22 4.2.1 Semi-structured Interviews

The semi-structured interviews allowed to examine in depth the individual phenomenal experiences from the beginning of the conflict until today through the story-telling and narrative descriptions of the interviewees. Moreover, adaptation to the individual stories was possible while at the same time securing standardization to a certain degree. At the beginning, the author used a pilot phase of one week in which three explorative interviews were conducted which were unstructured and rather similar to natural conversations. These interviews were used in order to adapt to the situation, and in consequence provide guidelines for the design of the semi-structured interviews. The interviews with the two art critics were done as well during this pilot phase, in order to set up a valuable interview guide. The semi-structured interviews with the art critics focussed on the following: the evaluation of Syrian art before and during the Syrian conflict, the effect of political conflicts on art work, the effect of migration on the Syrian contemporary art work, and the responsibility and role of artists. The participants who were interviewed during the pilot phase were asked to take part also in the semi-structured interview. By using a semi-semi-structured approach, adapting to the individual stories became possible while at the same time securing standardization to a specific degree. A list of questions was prepared in a guide. A few of them, the general ones, were asked to everyone which contained following topics: biography, experience in the war, migration process, the development of their art work since the uprisings, the purpose for themselves of making art, and the relation of it to politics. Other questions were adapted to the biographies and experiences of the individual artists. During the interviews, the artists gave deep insights into their feelings and thoughts during the process of producing arts, and they shared memories and images of the conflict. Even though the narrative approach is substantial in trauma studies and in reporting emotions, this approach has some limitations (Beatty, 2010). According to Beatty (2010) objectivity is a challenge since the researcher may misunderstand and misinterpret the answers of the participants and draw biased conclusions. Thus, an important part of the interviews was to analyse the artwork together with the artists. This enabled the author to catch more details about the emotional state of the artist, his or her perspective on the situation and the message in the painting.

4.2.2 Observations

According to Flick (2009) observations are essential to understand how specific issues work and occur. The observations will generate additional data to the interviews for the analysis of the data. These two methods of data collection were done concurrently. The observations were collected by writing down fieldnotes while spending time with the artists or immediately after the meeting. Observations had been conducted in open spaces for artists, such as art communities, exhibitions and by visiting the artists in their studios. Actions of the artist himself, the interactions between the artists and the author

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and the artistic work were focussed on. Though, the main focus was on the paintings of the artists which have been analysed and compared with what they said in the interviews. Hereby, the colours and symbols they used were of great importance. The meanings of the different colours were analysed on basis of the theories to get some information about their emotional state. Furthermore, the meaning of repetitive symbols was analysed, like for example symbols of animals, since symbols often have a deeper meaning. Fractions and lines that are dividing the paintings were interpreted as signs of inner division. Additionally, portraits were interpreted on the basis whether they had eyes, mouths and whether they were divided.

In order to gather accurate observations, the author applied the following three phases: 1. descriptive observation, 2. focused observation, and 3. selective observation. At the beginning, it was essential to be very open-minded during observations and to take many field notes. A detailed description helped to understand the context of the social environment and their behaviour (Bryman, 2012). According to Bleek (1987) being open-minded increases the understanding of the causes-effect relationships which will help developing new questions on their used structure, symbols and colours. In the next step, information necessary for answering the research question was focussed on such as the meaning and the effect of the paintings on the beholder (here the author). In the last phase, selective observation was done to collect the last missing data used for the research. The observations aim to test the theoretical concepts of the phenomenon that painting is both a coping mechanism for traumatised Syrians and a communication tool to spread a message to its audience.

4.2.3 Settings

All interviews were conducted in quiet places where both, author and artist, were able to have a space in intimacy, mostly in the artist’s studios. The artists’ studios were suitable places to analyse their paintings and conduct the interviews. When talking about very personal topics it was essential to provide a safe and comfortable situation for the artists. This was especially important in this case, due to the fact that the artists mistrusted Lebanese people because of the restricted laws for Syrian migrants. All interviews were recorded with consent of the interviewees. Before the interviews and the recording, anonymity of interviewees was assured. Even though it did not appear like this, it might have hampered them in opening up. Besides the recording, notes were taken. Furthermore, reflections about relationships between certain topics were written down during the interviews by the author. This was helpful for connecting the statements to the theories and going even deeper into subjects. 4.3 Data Analysis

An inductive research approach was used, which implies that the first interviews were used to develop a classification system (categories). The interviews were analysed in five steps, in order to reduce data

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and then analyse the data using a phenomenology approach. First, the recorded interviews were transcribed. Due to the interviewees anonymity, they had been labelled with numbers in the data analysis. The artists were labelled from A1 to A8 and the art critics were labelled with B1 to B2. Second, the information was reread and processed by categorizing them in theme-groups. Important quotes that were supportive for themes were highlighted. Third, relationships between the themes had been emphasized to yield sub-categories. These subthemes are supportive for clarification and interpretation.

Data analysis of the observations is divided into the three different themes (see above): (1) Artist’s behaviour; (2) Artistic work; (3) Interaction between artist and the author. The two categories ‘artist’s behaviour’ and ‘the interaction between the artist and the author’ were noted using a table which contains a ‘question’ and an ‘analysis’ section. The following three main questions were set up for every observation session: 1. What is happening, 2. Where is it happening, 3. How is it happening. Afterwards these notes were analysed regarding the following questions: 1. Why is it happening, 2. What does it mean, 3. How and why is it important. This induced the process of reducing the fieldnotes. Similarly, to the analysis of the interviews, the observations were reread and put into families of themes. Then, the data was interpreted. Finally, the observed artwork was analysed and compared with the data collected by the interviews. A table with two sections was used in order to illustrate ambiguous information collected in observations of the paintings vs. information collected in discussions of the paintings. These observations were based on the used colours and symbols in the paintings and their meanings. Additionally, the outcomes of the paintings from different artists were compared with each other and analysed focusing on possible similarities between the eight interviewed Syrian artists. This enabled to identify relations between the different themes.

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25 5. Results

The ethnographic field work in Beirut gave a great insight into the subject by its almost overloading agenda of events in the art scene. Galleries and open space ateliers can be found in almost every street in the neighbourhood of Mar Mikhael. Syrian artists are well represented in the galleries and well-known by gallerists. Anyhow, one cannot neglect the tragedy of Syrian refugees in Lebanon which is visible on the streets where Syrian children are begging. Due to the Lebanese new laws and regulations for migrants, the situation for Syrians gets worse. The narratives from the Syrian artists and the paintings that had been seen, were disillusioning by depicting their tragedy in their home country and hosting country. In the following chapter, the findings from the observations and interviews with the painters and art critics will be outlined. The findings of the observations converge with those of the interviews. The findings are structured in four main categories: (1) Art in the political context, (2) Purposes of painting, and (3) Artistical expression in political trauma. Each of these areas are divided in several other sub-categories.

5.1 Art in the Political Context

Since not every piece of art can be seen as political it was important to find out to what extent their art can be put into the political context of the Syrian protracted conflict. Even though, their political position was not asked, three artists (A5, A7, A8) stated that they sympathize with the opposition movement. A5 and A7 considered themselves as art activists by doing illustrations critical to the Syrian government. A5 feels still threatened due to his artwork which is provocative and sharp. He likes to say what he thinks, which is not tolerated neither from the Syrian nor from the Lebanese government. He had once been through a long-lasting legal dispute which he won and changed the Lebanese legislation which nowadays forbids to detain artists for creating art in public spaces. A7 stated she is not afraid anymore of the Syrian government, because her belief in continuing the revolution by drawing makes her feel stronger. She lost her fear when she was still living in Syria, because she compared herself with the protestors on the streets who risk their lives. Therefore, she uncovered her nickname before she left Syria. Both are convinced that their art is worth to continue. The other artists mentioned that they do not want to take any political position in the conflict. They stated that the protracted conflict will not be ended by taking a political side. They insisted that their paintings cannot get categorized in a political side, but rather deal with political and social issues that were triggered since the beginning of the revolution. A2 explained: “All arts have something political in it. My message of my artwork is political but I am not political orientated.” They considered themselves as neutral artists that mainly try to reunify the Syrian society and provide the idea of peace. They think that politicians and politics are something bad with which they do not want to get associated with (A2, A4, A5).

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26 5.1.1 Development of the Syrian Art

On the basis of the interviews and the observations of the paintings, interviewees’ artwork can be classified into three time spans: (1) before the revolution, (2) at the beginning of the revolution, and (3) now, during the protracted conflict. Four artists (A1, A2, A3, A4) that have started painting before the revolution, describe their art in the first span as colourful and spontaneous, without deeper meanings. They explained that the subject of the paintings was related to their environment. As long as life is considered as beautiful and good, the paintings will be colourful and cheerful as well. B1 stated that the paintings had an aesthetical beauty before the revolution. Though, B2 referred to the long-lasting impact of oppression that have always affected their paintings. He explained that the Syrian art had never been cheerful, and had always been dealing with their social issues due to the long-lasting oppression. According to him, this is the reason why they were never free in painting, and therefore, Syria had always been political. Lebanese paintings were freer in their expressions and did only recently start to paint about social subjects, as consequence from the aftermath effects of the civil war (B2).

The second span, was about to express their hope of being free from the oppressive government in colourful paintings because they still believed in the revolution. The bright colours were the symbol to underline the happiness of the break of the oppression. The revolution was still too young and they were not yet able to figure out the long-lasting consequences of it. “When I started, I was trying to express the uprising and about everything that was happening. Every illustration had a story behind. Of course, everything was against Bashar al-Assad. I believed in the revolution and in the changing (A7).” Some of the artist (A1, A6, A7) already moved to Beirut at that stage (end of 2012), because they felt that the unstable situation would last for longer. Even though, the revolution represented hope and freedom, the violent response of the government and the army were worrisome. This was highlighted in the following statement from A1: “After I arrived in Lebanon, I needed colours because my soul needed colours. Life back in Syria was dark because of all the destructions. The idea was not yet clear, so I just put many colours.” After having seen the first destructions of the bombings and the first killings on the streets, A1 needed many different colours in his paintings to contrast the dark side effects of the revolution. This was as well observed in his paintings that had been analysed from that time span. Documenting the events in Syria was the main purpose in that time span. Exhibitions outside Syria such as “Human” (A3) and “1800 paintings: one per day of the war in Syria” aimed to document the war and to create awareness of the situation of the citizens still living in Syria.

In the third time-span, which is still ongoing, the paintings illustrate the struggle to survive and people’s despair. Half of the artists (A1, A3, A6, A8) only use black and white in their paintings to reflect the contrast of the protracted conflict. This change in colours was clearly obvious in the observations while comparing old paintings with newer ones. Some represent the two main war parties, the government

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and the opposition by using this contrasting colours. After having spent another three years in Syria during the conflict, A1 came back in 2014 and started to paint everything in black and white. He explained that in a war there are two options: either to die or to survive. Expressing these contrasts by means of colours is hard to achieve. He mentioned that he was a liar back then when he painted the revolution in colours during the second-time span. “You cannot speak about death with colours. (..) But look you cannot be colourful when children are dying, when people are losing their houses. Therefore, the paintings now are not colourful. They are just black and white (A1).”

Meanwhile, six artists (A1, A3, A4, A5, A6, A8) considered their art as having become deeper, clearer and more specific in their subjects. They care less about the aesthetic beauty. Their reason was that art becomes deeper in bad times because their reflection about the causes and effects of the happenings become deeper too. “But I think that if you suffer your paintings are getting deeper. Art is like letting go all of your pressure in your paintings (A2).” This became clear as well during the observations. During the previous time spans it was not clear what the artists wanted to say with their paintings. This was confirmed by A1 who stated that the idea was not clear yet. A3 stated: “The ones in 2009 were more spontaneous. Now they are more specific and detailed.” Now, the subject was clearly about the division of the Syrian population and themselves, and their isolation in Lebanon. Furthermore, their unwell-being and outcry can be seen in the dark colours that were used. They barely used bright colours such as yellow or green, which represent hope. The paintings had a strong effect on the author while observing them being painted in dark colours on large canvas. Additionally, A4 and A7 explained that the purpose of their arts has changed in the meantime, from mere documenting to rather representing their perspective on the situation. At the beginning, they just documented exactly what happened during the revolution. Now they are including some incentives in their paintings to provoke reflection. They are drawing to create awareness about the happenings in Syria and to stimulate critical reflection. This evaluation of the purpose is as well clearly visible in the titles of their last and partly ongoing exhibitions. Recent ones were: “The Show Must Go On” (A1), “Stitching Together my Syria” (A4) and “Shame and Soul” (A5). This seems to reflect the struggles of survival, not being integrated in a new society and the feeling of despair of their current living conditions. An upcoming exhibition is called “Wish” (A4), which represents the desire for peace. The paintings in progress are depicting balloons that are carrying off weapons and tanks from Syria. The message is to remove the reasons for the exodus of Syria, instead of letting the population go. Another activist (A7) painted an illustration in which the soldiers are following a flutist who brings them out of Syria.

“I wanted to draw the flowers in a childish way and put the fighters in a really silly way, how they fight. Because they are all angry fighters, but they were children once before. You know the story of