The diaspora dilemma: Sara Shamma’s paintings look for hope in times of loss

Two years ago, Sara Shamma and her children were forced to leave their home in Damascus and flee to Lebanon.

She documented her experience in a collection of 12 oil and acrylic portraits titled Diaspora, which were unveiled last month at Art Sawa in Dubai International Financial Centre.

Nearly half the paintings – rendered in chunky, laden brush strokes that lend a sense of urgency and movement – feature her son and daughter, their deep, watery eyes emitting a kind of sadness.

But Shamma sees them differently.

“I don’t think they are sad, they are just real,” she says. “Together, these paintings reflect my experience of diaspora, which was of course filled with fear and anxiety from having to leave my country because of war and also a lot of questions. However, I try to be optimistic and positive about my situation and I hope the paintings show this.”

Original article by Anna Seaman

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The diaspora dilemma: Sara Shamma’s paintings look for hope in times of loss