Rubble for a canvas

When he first saw footage of George Floyd pleading for his life while a police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis, Syrian artist Aziz Asmar was reminded of his fellow Syrians gasping for breath after being attacked with sarin gas by the Bashar Assad regime. He painted Floyd's portrait on what was a former kitchen wall in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

To commemorate World Press Freedom Day, Asmar painted this mural to highlight the targeting, detention, and killing of Syrian journalists during the nine years of the Syrian revolution.

Asmar painted this mural as a sign of solidarity with the people of Lebanon after the Beirut port blast of August 2020 that killed and wounded hundreds. He stressed that despite injustices at home, Syrians stand in solidarity with innocent people who are killed or persecuted anywhere in the world.

While the rest of the Muslim world discussed curtailed movement during Ramadan due to COVID, Asmar highlighted how Muslims in Syria have had their freedom of movement curtailed even longer due to the war.

When German Chancellor Merkel tested negative for COVID in March 2020, Asmar painted this mural expressing relief over her good health. Grateful to Merkel for her 2015 decision to open Germany's borders to refugees that included Syrians, Asmar is currently working on a new mural dedicated to her as a farewell and token of gratitude to her as she leaves office after the Sept. 26 election.