Charlotte Bank

Author: Charlotte Bank

Portrait of Lubna, Cutting Away the Void (source: Mirror Image)

The Syrian art project "Cutting Away the Void"

Documenting the tragedy of the Syrian revolt

The Syrian–British artist couple Nora and Fritz Best spent two weeks with Syrian refugees in Amman, creating a series of empathetic portraits of the refugees and recording their experiences. The resulting portraits and statements provide a touching but disturbing insight into the harrowing story of present-day SyriaMore

Nora und Fritz Best's blog entries about the "Cutting Away the Void" project Ifa exhibition: Syrian short films and videos: Somwhere between art and activism Syrian artists caught between censorship and criticism: The art of ambiguity Syrian painter and digital artist Tammam Azzam: "I, the Syrian"

Poster for the film "Ladder to Damascus" by Mohammad Malas

Mohammad Malas's film "Ladder to Damascus"

Between dream and disaster

In his new film, "Ladder to Damascus", the renowned Syrian filmmaker Mohammad Malas has succeeded in portraying the whole tragedy of the Syrian conflict without depicting any scenes of violence. By Charlotte BankMore

Documentary film: "Not Who We Are": Lost time in Lebanon Israeli cinema: "Bethlehem": Beloved enemy Revolutionary Films in the Arab World: Taking Stock Ifa exhibition: Syrian Short Films and Videos: Somwhere between Art and Activism

Beirut exhibition of Salah Saouli's 'The Days of the Blue Bat' project (photo: Charlotte Bank)

Salah Saouli: The Days of the Blue Bat

A Piece of the Collective Memory Mosaic

The work of German-Lebanese artist Salah Saouli repeatedly draws on strands of recent Lebanese history and examines how these are perceived in the individual and collective consciousness. By Charlotte BankMore

Photography Project ''Missing'': Lebanon's Shadows of the Past Contemporary Art in Lebanon: Between Dreams and Violence Contemparabia 2010 in Beirut: Looking the Ghosts of the Past in the Face

Children playing on a destroyed Syrian tank in Aleppo (photo: AP/Muhammed Muheisen)

Ifa exhibition: Syrian Short Films and Videos

Somwhere between Art and Activism

How have Syria's independent artists been addressing the escalating violence in their native country since the start of the uprising against the Assad regime? For the first time ever, the ifa-Galerie in Berlin is showing videos and short films by Syrian artists inspired by the revolution in an exhibition entitled "Bewegte Bilder" (Moving Images). By Charlotte BankMore

Art and Resistance in Syria: Creative Awakening Creative Protest against Syria's Regime: The Puppet Rebellion Interview with the Syrian Composer-pianist Malek Jandali: ''We are witnessing the fall of humanity''

The Syrian film-maker and activist Orwa Nyrabia (photo: Elvis Barukcic/AFP/Getty Images)

Missing: the Syrian Film-maker Orwa Nyrabia

The Hunt for Awkward Cultural Activists

Last Thursday afternoon, Orwa Nyrabia, film-maker, festival organiser and activist, disappeared as he was on the way to board a flight from Damascus to Cairo. It is assumed that he was arrested at Damascus airport by the Syrian security services. But, as Charlotte Bank reports, the case is not uniqueMore

Art and Resistance in Syria: Creative Awakening Creative Protest against Syria's Regime: The Puppet Rebellion Syrian Artists Caught between Censorship and Criticism: The Art of Ambiguity

Extract from Magdy El-Shafee's graphic novel 'Metro' (© Edition Moderne)

Comics Artists in the Arab World

Swimming against the Tide

Many of the Arab comics and graphic novels produced before and during the Arab Spring are both critical of society and politically provocative. Despite the uprisings in the region, difficult working conditions and the strict constraints of media censorship still pose a big problem for the rebellious artists. A report by Charlotte BankMore

Creative Protest against Syria's Regime: The Puppet Rebellion The Iranian Graphic Novel ''Zahra's Paradise'': An Artistic Insight into a Sinister World Syrian Artists Caught between Censorship and Criticism: The Art of Ambiguity

Caricature of Assad and Gaddafi on an anti-Assad protest in Paris (photo: ddp images/AP/Francois Mori

Art and Resistance in Syria

Creative Awakening

In Syria, a diverse cultural protest movement is rebelling against the Assad regime in a way that is both subtle and open. Charlotte Bank reportsMore

Creative Protest against Syria's Regime: The Puppet Rebellion Syrian Artists Caught between Censorship and Criticism: The Art of Ambiguity Social Protest and Young Arab Art: Winds of Change

Caricature of the Syrian artist Ali Farzat (© Ali Farzat)

Syrian Artists Caught between Censorship and Criticism

The Art of Ambiguity

Despite the country's dictatorship, Syria has had a long tradition of artistic criticism of the regime – often couched in the indirect language of metaphor. Yet, since the advent of the protests in Syria, the nature of criticism has changed. Charlotte Bank reportsMore

Social Protest and Young Arab Art: Winds of Change Modern Arabic Graffiti: Ancient Calligraphy Meets Politics Qanatar Dossier: Islamic Art

Young musicians on Tahrir Square in Cairo (photo: AP)

Social Protest and Young Arab Art

Winds of Change

The output of young artists in the Arab world is clear evidence that young people here have for a long time been grappling with prevailing social conditions in their particular nations. Observations by Charlotte BankMore

Tunisia's Art Scene after the Overthrow of Ben Ali: Politics as Inspiration Modern Arabic Graffiti: Ancient Calligraphy Meets Politics

Arts and Culture in the Gulf Region

The End of Tolerance

In recent years, the United Arab Emirates have succeeded in presenting a number of prestigious arts projects and cultural events. Now though, questions are having to be asked about academic and artistic freedom there. Charlotte Bank reportsMore

Dubai Feels the Effects of the Financial Crisis: Winds of Change on Dubai's Cultural Scene Interview with Rose Issa: ''Culture Should Not Be Restricted to the West''Seventh Sharjah Biennial: Exploratory Artistic Drilling in the Gulf