Syria International Caricature Exhibition, in its 17th session, celebrates the great poet Nizar Qabbani

Damascus, (ST) – The 17th session of  the Syrian  International Caricature Exhibition which is currently being held in Dar Al-Assad for Culture and Arts Hall  celebrated the great Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani, the poet of love and beauty  and who was considered as a symbol of Damascene  Jasmine.

The exhibition included nearly 100 paintings by artists from 75 countries. This event is being held for the third year in a row. It celebrated creative Syrian symbols , starting with the late artist Nidal Sejri and the writer Muhammad Al-Maghout.

500 artists competed for the exhibition competition prizes. The jury included Peruvian artists Walter Toscano, the Portuguese Antonio Santas, the Egyptian Omar Al-Siddiq, and from Syria, Bushra Al-Hakim, Mowafak Makhoul, Raed Khalil, and the critic Saad Al-Qasim.

The exhibition presented promotional prizes to each of the artists Ramez Hajj Hussein and Muhammad Al-Ali, and for the smallest participation by Gori Abu Al-Sil, and the poet Amir Samawi.

In a statement to SANA, the director of the exhibition, cartoonist Raed Khalil affirmed that Syria will remain the source of goodness and beauty despite all circumstances, and these exhibitions are an opportunity to shed light on  its  creative people.

Among the members of the jury, plastic artist Bushra al-Hakim indicated that most of the paintings that participated in the exhibition competition, especially the one that won the first prize, encompassed  idea, font, color and work as a whole.

Plastic artist Mowafak Makhoul stated that, the exhibition competition adopted international standards based on idea and the accurate professional drawing- this in addition to the opinions of the committee to choose the best work.

The Syria International Caricature Exhibition launched its first session in 2005 under the title “Caricature is a free feather in a free world,” with the participation of painters from 30 countries, and its paintings at that time dealt with wars and the scourge they wreak on peoples, especially in the region.

Raghda Sawas