Syrian artist paints Damascus with newspapers and fabric

Artist Ayat Al-Zoubi’s experience in painting old Damascus embodies the aesthetic of interaction with the rhythms of the ancient Damascene architecture that is at risk of extinction and disappearance. Through it, she wanted to pay tribute to the engineering aesthetic rooted in the ancient architectural structures, which remain in the sights of arches, alleys, neighborhoods, walls and other features of the ancient city.

“During my study at the college of fine arts , I worked on the technique of collage away from colors and based on the material in my hand, whatever it was “newspaper clippings, paper, tapes, fabrics”, and this distinguished the topics that I worked on, as it requires accuracy to reach desired result and configuration clarification” Al-Zoubi told E-Syria ( blog)
Under the title “ Routine of 2021” The artist presented a graduation project in oil colors and in a realistic style in which she presented her family’s diaries, and in the same context she had several experiences, including paintingswith ink, but her desire to diversify and not stop at one point, prompted her to use other methods.

The artist, who has recently held her first exhibition stressed that It is very necessary for the artist to be convinced of what he is doing and to fully understand the steps he is following, in order for him to be aware of his position and to be able to convey his idea to the audience in a simple and clear manner.

Al-Zoubi moved between the areas of “Bab Sharqi” and “Bab Touma”, and took pictures of places that people do not usually go for walking and entertainment as she drew 35 paintings using abstract technique where the views turned into circles, triangles and rectangles which appear more like stacked scraps of paper or shapes of rocks or clouds.
She said I chose “Mustafa Ali Gallery” in Bab Sharqi to hold my first exhibition , because its building and location belong somewhat to my paintings which focused on old Damascus.

Al-Zoubi was the winner of the second prize in the Portrait Recycling Competition at the Damascus Citadel 2021, and her first exhibition motivated her to continue diversifying techniques and methods, in addition to her continuous work in sketches.

The critic and sculptor Ghazi Aana said “Ayat Al-Zoubi is a talented artist . Her first exhibition will be the beginning of a distinguished and qualitative start for the young artist on the Syrian plastic scene, indicating to her collage works which seemed an adventurer of high caliber for using this technique in a different way like a dream that you wish would never end.

Rawaa Ghanam