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Burst of colour: an<br />
installation from<br />
the Stereotype<br />
Inversion project<br />
ALÝA OLA ABBAS<br />
Syria is a country with a rich<br />
cultural history. From painting<br />
and literature to music and<br />
architecture, its artistic<br />
contribution to the world<br />
stretches back to 9,000 BC.<br />
However, conflict in Syria –<br />
particularly since the start of<br />
the civil war in 2011 – has<br />
overshadowed the country’s<br />
cultural achievements, casting<br />
the focus instead on warring<br />
factions and bloodshed. Now,<br />
young Syrian artists are trying<br />
to change this, shining a light<br />
on the abundance of new<br />
creative talent in a nation<br />
currently making headlines<br />
for only negative reasons.<br />
One such creative is Alýa<br />
Ola Abbas of ALya Art Studio.<br />
Through her innovative art<br />
project Stereotype Inversion,<br />
Abbas aims to represent Syria<br />
as a place of creativity and<br />
ALYA ART STUDIO<br />
Floating<br />
perspective<br />
With her beautiful artwork, Syrian creative Alýa Ola<br />
Abbas is challenging the world’s view of her country<br />
hope. “As an artist who works<br />
and lives in a country that has<br />
suffered from war for around<br />
10 years, the negative impact<br />
had started to confuse me,”<br />
she says. “I aimed to represent<br />
those stereotypical scenes of<br />
everyday life and then replace<br />
them with scenes full of hope,<br />
challenging the situation and<br />
transforming those places.”<br />
Abbas uses photography,<br />
film and installations to<br />
capture locations in Syria’s<br />
cities. “<strong>The</strong> photography<br />
series contains about seven<br />
photographs with different<br />
stories,” she says. “Balloons<br />
represent the creative ideas<br />
and advanced inventions made<br />
by the people here; to give<br />
them the self-confidence and<br />
determination to reach the<br />
quality of life they want.” Each<br />
image comprises 50 layers of<br />
photography, combining shots<br />
of locations and balloons to<br />
create a new narrative around<br />
local spaces.<br />
“Our life is our beliefs, so<br />
we should make sure to think<br />
positively and look for real<br />
effective power,” says Abbas<br />
of her project. “<strong>The</strong> final<br />
pieces of Stereotype Inversion<br />
conceptualise my thoughts and<br />
artistic views of social issues.”<br />
Instagram: @alya_art_studio<br />
THE RED BULLETIN 19
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