Syria: in the face of chaos, a site to preserve artistic memory

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In 2013, Syrian graphic designer Sana Yazigi launched “Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution”, a website where she and her team identify and compile all forms of artistic expression which have emerged since 2011. The aim? To give a voice to the men and women of Syria.

Today, “Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution” includes hundreds of works of art (paintings, designs, banners, drawings, graffiti), the background to which has been traced through significant archival and documentation work, allowing to bypass the obstacle of inaccessibility and destruction of certain works and emblematic locations of uprising in Syria.

Image Diaporama - "It's your turn, Doctor" (2021)

"It’s your turn, Doctor" (2021)

Translation: "It’s your turn, Doctor"

Zeltschule e.V.

Image Diaporama - "Soldiers" (2014)

"Soldiers" (2014)

Mural in Idlib

The campaign Live Kafranbel

Image Diaporama - "Your Planes Cannot Bomb Our Dreams" (2020)

"Your Planes Cannot Bomb Our Dreams" (2020)

Translation: "Your planes cannot bomb our dreams
Saraqib 2020 "

Activists

Image Diaporama - Sana Yazigi

Sana Yazigi

“Even if art cannot stop wars or deliver justice, it has power. […] By preserving the memory of this struggle, it will have an influence and leave its mark.” Sana Yazigi
Source : https://www.myra.fr/memoire-creative-de-la-revolution-syrienne/

Image Diaporama - Untitled (2014)

Untitled (2014)

Mural in in Maadamiyat Al Sham

Activists

Image Diaporama - "It's your turn, Doctor" (2021)
Image Diaporama - "Soldiers" (2014)
Image Diaporama - "Your Planes Cannot Bomb Our Dreams" (2020)
Image Diaporama - Sana Yazigi
Image Diaporama - Untitled (2014)

Through the site, Sana Yazigi and her team have documented a collective memory which the regime and its allies seek to distort or deny. Thanks to this work, Creative Memory is helping to write Syria’s contemporary history, and bears testimony for all men and women of Syria, as well as future generations, of ten years of chaos.

“Our site is a memory that fights against denial” - Sana Yazigi

There are several sections for visitors to explore, including a chronology and a map of the conflict.

The book entitled “The Story of a Place, The Story of a People: The Beginnings of the Syrian Revolution 2011 – 2015” complements the website. Published in 2018, it contains documentary texts looking back at the beginning of the uprising, its expansions and repercussions on 50 cities, villages and neighbourhoods in Syria. It is illustrated throughout with artwork.

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