Azzam’s Paintings Reveal Syrian Horrors

Tammam Azzam

Tammam Azzam uses iconic paintings to depict the Syrian revolution

Ever since the Syrian revolution started in March 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Commission counted over 60,000 people has been killed so far. The photographers also made a record of these events with their powerful photographs, it’s used as a reference to the violence committed. But now this digital-made picture made by a Syrian artist is gathering attention online.

Tammam AZZAM, ‘Laundry Series’

Tammam Azzam is an artist who was born in Syria, but lives and works in Dubai as an artist who has held many galleries. He digitally added Gustav Klimt’s popular painting “The Kiss”, on a picture of an unidentified wall in Syria which was destroyed due to the attacks there. He called that picture “Freedom Graffiti”

Tammam Azzam, 'Freedom Graffiti'

It became so popular online that over 21 thousand people shared it on Facebook, after Saatchi Gallery in London sharing it on February 1.

“Freedom Graffiti” is part of a project done by Azzam to show the struggle and revolution is his country, the project is called “The Syrian Museum”. His other works include iconic painting by Picasso, Da Vinci and others. He uses these paintings and digitally puts them on pictures of recent ruins in Syria.

Tammam Azzam, 'Bleeding Syria'

Each one of his paintings shows a certain event or incident in the revolution, and he tries as much as possible to choose paintings that would deliver a message related to the scene he’s chosen.

Tammam Azzam, 'Fransisco Goya'

Gustav Klimt's Original work, 'Kiss' (Left) / Fransisco Goya's Original Work, 'The Third of May 1808' (Right)

One of his other works, “Francisco Goya”, is using the painting “The Third of May 1808” by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya, which illustrates the execution of notable Spanish resistance fighters by Napoleon’s soldiers. He said in an interview with a magazine, “The reason I chose this painting, is to show that Syria lives every day in events similar to that painting, and none is trying to stop it”.

Azzam said in a statement, “I want to discuss how the whole world could be interested in art and on the other hand two hundred people are killed every day in Syria. Goya created a work to immortalize the killing of hundreds of innocent Spanish citizens on May 3, 1808.  How many May 3rds do we have in Syria today…”

Tammam Azzam, 'Syrian Spring'

He also have several other works named “Mona Lisa”, “Syrian Spring”, “Bleeding Syria”, and many others which were shown in many galleries such as Ayyam Gallery in the Middle East.

See Azzam’s Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tammam-Azzam/218202171577341) for detailed explanations on his own works.

Tammam Azzam, 'Mona Lisa'