Syrian artistic collaboration stands against war

CAIRO – 1 April 2018: Deeply inspired by the Syrian war’s dramatic consequences, two Syrian artists –Kevork Mourad and Kinan Azmeh- collaborated to create a mind-blowing performance in Beirut on Monday March 26.

The performance was a combination between Mourad’s live sketches, and the rhythms of Azmeh’s clarinet. The performance exceptionally pictured the Syrian struggle; both artists presented a series of images to mirror the unbearable state of life in Syria throughout the last seven years of war.

Shedding light on the suffering of Syrian refugees, Mourad’s silhouettes in the performanceappearedin the darkness showing a group of people clustered in a small boat along with Azmeh’s clarinet playing in the background.

Mourad is a Syrian-Armenian artist born in Aleppo, Syria and has previously taken part in exhibitions at the Chelsea Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum of Art, among other venues around New York.

Azmeh is a Syrian soloist, composer and improviser who has traveled the world with his renowned compositions. He has performed at remarkable places such as Opera Bastille in Paris, Tchaikovsky Grand Hall in Moscow, and Carnegie Hall in New York.

UNICEF’s latest report shows that there is a generation of Syrian children who are growing up without a proper education, or independent family. Despite this fact, Azmeh believes that they, as Syrian artists, should keep working.

He told Reuters although art doesn’t stop the killing of Syrians or provide them with a democratic platform, it does give them a reason to live.

Azmeh expressed to Reuters the sense of responsibility he has as a Syrian artist for his country, a country that is passing through its darkest time.

Having met each other 17 years ago, Azmeh and Mourad launched their project 11 years later under the title “Home Within”. Their project includes performances that are evolving from the war in Syria and all the dynamic changes the nation has witnessed since the beginning of the war.