The Ornina Forum highlights the creativity … and aesthetics of various artistic experiences

More than 60 paintings by 18 professional and young artists whose ages range between 22 and 80 years old adorned the walls and corridors of Al-Zahrawi Palace as it hosted the second Plastic Exhibition of the Ornina Cultural Forum.

On the importance of the exhibition, Ahmed Akash, Director of Tourism said that holding the exhibition plays a big role in revitalizing the cultural movement in the city after the long hiatus due to the Corona pandemic.

“In the displayed paintings, we feel hope and optimism for the future despite all the circumstances that afflicted our beloved country, as this exhibition sends a message that Syria is a country of heritage and civilization”, he added.

The assistant director of  the Antiquities and Museums Department, Dr. Diala Barakat said, “The exhibition is wonderful in terms of choosing the place, the quality of the paintings it displays, the method of painting and colors, as well as the great turnout for the exhibition.  We hope that there will be continuous exhibitions with the participation of proficient artists and young artists who contribute to the exchange of artistic experiences”.

Head of the Board of Directors of Ornina Forum for Culture and Arts Raymond Kabron said, “This exhibition was held in the ancient Al-Zahrawi Palace under the slogan “Syria is a small geography but a country that provides love for all.” Some of 64 paintings whose themes varied between impressionism, realism and abstraction, in addition to a few surrealist paintings participated in the exhibition”.

He added, “The purpose of the exhibition is to shed light on the aesthetic aspect of this museum, work to revitalize the cultural movement, enhance love and communication relations among all age groups and highlight the creativity of artists, whether they are young or veteran, and learn about individual experiences and different art schools to encourage creativity among young artists”.

Engineer Mohammad Wafaa Motlaq said, “The exhibition in general is successful and constitutes a step forward and the return of life and spirit after defeating terrorism. We hope that such artistic and cultural activities will continue because of their important impact on enriching the artistic cultural scene”.

Raja’ Belal, the curator of the Popular Traditions Museum (Al-Zahrawi Palace) said, “Choosing Al-Zahrawi Palace to hold the exhibition is a distinctive step as it gives privacy to the place, especially after it has been exposed to sabotage by terrorists. It also sheds light on historical and archaeological buildings, and contributes to restoring its glory and vitality and creates a great artistic and cultural movement”.

Plastic artist Randa Bouchi from Aleppo said, “I participated in the Ornina Forum Exhibition with three oil paintings, the first painting is representing the architecture in Aleppo (Khan facade), the second painting representing (the destruction) that befell the old markets, while the third painting highlights the beauty of nature in Syria in the Abu Qubais area .

Artist Reem Attalla from Hama said, “I participated in the exhibition with two expressive canvases. I believe that holding this exhibition in such an archaeological landmark in Homs Governorate, with the participation of artists from different governorates and with different ages and experiences, is an important step in enriching the artistic cultural scene”.

Plastic artist Mohammed Salman said that he participated in the exhibition with several paintings belonging to the abstract school, most of them are old and the others are shown for the first time.

“It was a wonderful experience due to the privacy of the exhibition place, as the Al Zahrawi Palace Museum is a very old building and is currently under restoration. It is necessary to revive these archaeological sites through various cultural and artistic activities in order to return to life to our beautiful city of Homs, which we love and relate to all its urban and human details, as art is the mirror of life and beauty is the goal of art.” He added.

Artist Nazem Issa Saleh said that he participated with six paintings describing landscapes, folk traditions, and old Damascus.

The artist, Yasmine Al-Saleh, pointed out that she participated in the exhibition with11 paintings and presented models and paintings that  are done with simple materials from environmental waste, stressing that the topics of her paintings deal with poverty and our to-day life issues. While artist, Salam Al-Ahmad, explained that the topics of the three oil paintings that she participated with are focusing on people and their feelings and spirits.

The artist, Mahabbah Lyon, said that she participated in the exhibition with two paintings, the first is about old Homs and the second is about steadfastness in wartime, stressing that participation in the exhibition was a beautiful addition especially with the presence of important artists and new experiences.

The artist, Mazen Mansour said that he participated in the exhibition with five paintings of different subjects that varied between nature and portraiture stressing that color is the main element in his paintings.

The artist, Aya Zafour emphasized that   she was very pleased with her participation in this exhibition, in which great artists have participated, as she benefited from their experience, artistic methods, pointing out that the topics of her three participating paintings dealt with issues related to women issues.

Amal Farhat