Thursday, December 11, 2025
ADVT 
International

From Trump To Assad: Syrian Artist Reimagines World Leaders As Vulnerable Refugees

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Jun, 2017 01:47 PM
    A Syrian refugee artist has spent 19 months creating a series of paintings in his Brussels studio showing world leaders as displaced or disenfranchised people and is showcasing them in a Dubai gallery.
     
    Abdalla Al Omari’s “The Vulnerability Series” includes paintings of US President Donald Trump as a bedraggled refugee with a sleeping child in his arms, Russian President Vladimir Putin as a beggar, as well as former British Prime Minister David Cameron and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
     
     
    “My aim somehow shifted from an expression of anger to a more vivid desire of disarming these figures, (to) picture them outside their positions of power”, Omari told Al Jazeera.
     
    Omari started painting in Damascus shortly after the start of the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011. He fled and was granted asylum in Belgium.
     
     
    Gallery visitor Sami Azraq said the portraits were a unique take on the refugee crisis.
     
    “I think it’s an interesting way or it’s a nicer way to look at the problem rather than our usual news or social media or other outlets,” he said.
     
    Here is a glimpse of some of Omari’s work:
     
     

    #Repost @ayyamgallery QOTD: "Although I knew little about the internal world of those leaders, the countless, intimate hours I spent with them have taught me more than I could imagine. Just as easily as everything worth defending can become defenseless, moments of absolute powerlessness can give you superpowers” - Abdalla Al Omari describing his artwork ‘The Queue’, part of the painter’s upcoming exhibition ‘#thevulnerabilityseries at Ayyam Gallery Dubai (12, Alserkal Avenue) from 22 May - 6 July 2017. http://bit.ly/2olMBnE __________ Image: 'The Queue', 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, 160 x 210 cm #obama #putin #cameron #kimjongun #alsissi #natanyahu #alassad #iran #painting #art #AbdallaAlOmari

    A post shared by Abdalla Al Omari (@abdalla.al.omari) on

     
     
     
     

    #Repost @ayyamgallery QOTD: "Although I knew little about the internal world of those leaders, the countless, intimate hours I spent with them have taught me more than I could imagine. Just as easily as everything worth defending can become defenseless, moments of absolute powerlessness can give you superpowers” - Abdalla Al Omari describing his artwork ‘The Queue’, part of the painter’s upcoming exhibition ‘#thevulnerabilityseries at Ayyam Gallery Dubai (12, Alserkal Avenue) from 22 May - 6 July 2017. http://bit.ly/2olMBnE __________ Image: 'The Queue', 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, 160 x 210 cm #obama #putin #cameron #kimjongun #alsissi #natanyahu #alassad #iran #painting #art #AbdallaAlOmari

    A post shared by Abdalla Al Omari (@abdalla.al.omari) on

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Sikhs, US Lawmakers, Hail Decision As FIBA Lifts Ban On Headgear

    Sikhs, US Lawmakers, Hail Decision As FIBA Lifts Ban On Headgear
    A game changer for Sikh athletes and other religious groups, who have been prohibited from basketball competitions because of their articles of faith.

    Sikhs, US Lawmakers, Hail Decision As FIBA Lifts Ban On Headgear

    Indian-Origin Couple Gunned Down In San Jose In US By Daughter's Jilted Ex-Boyfriend

    Indian-Origin Couple Gunned Down In San Jose In US By Daughter's Jilted Ex-Boyfriend
      The police received a call from the victims’ 20 year-old son that the suspect, 24 year-old Mirza Tatlic, had shot his parents at their house on Laura Ville Lane, near St James Anglican Church, reports sanfrancisco.cbs. 

    Indian-Origin Couple Gunned Down In San Jose In US By Daughter's Jilted Ex-Boyfriend

    New York Times Article Criticising Pakistani Army Replaced With Blank Space In Local Paper

    New York Times Article Criticising Pakistani Army Replaced With Blank Space In Local Paper
    The NYT article was censored in the Express Tribune newspaper. The Pakistani newspaper is partnered with The International New York Times – the global edition of The New York Times.

    New York Times Article Criticising Pakistani Army Replaced With Blank Space In Local Paper

    Canada Already Helping Battle Famine In South Sudan, Ready To Do More: Justin Trudeau

    Canada Already Helping Battle Famine In South Sudan, Ready To Do More: Justin Trudeau
    MONTREAL — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is looking at ways to do more to help South Sudan, where millions face famine.

    Canada Already Helping Battle Famine In South Sudan, Ready To Do More: Justin Trudeau

    'Un-Islamic' Say Pakistani Lawmakers, Reject Bill To Raise Marriage Age For Girls

    'Un-Islamic' Say Pakistani Lawmakers, Reject Bill To Raise Marriage Age For Girls
    Pakistani lawmakers have unanimously rejected a bill aimed at increasing the minimum age for marriage of a girl from 16 to 18 years, terming the proposed amendment as "un-Islamic". 

    'Un-Islamic' Say Pakistani Lawmakers, Reject Bill To Raise Marriage Age For Girls

    Police Register Report Against Nawaz Sharif For 'Anti-Army' Speech

    Police Register Report Against Nawaz Sharif For 'Anti-Army' Speech
    Pakistani police have registered a report against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly provoking people and creating hatred against the armed forces.

    Police Register Report Against Nawaz Sharif For 'Anti-Army' Speech