“There is a saying that ‘history is written by the winners’. If everybody documented the truth then we can change this statement" declares Syrian artist Azza Abo Rebieh, known for her activist drawings of fellow prisoners during a short period of the Syrian war. Capturing these memories in her mind like a camera, her subsequent etchings and drawings continue to document her memories of life in Syria after her release and exile.
Born in Hama, Azza Abo Rebieh (1980) obtained her degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus University, in 2002. Graduating with accolades in printmaking, her thesis project won a prize at the Ostrobothnian Museum, Youth Engravers Competition in Vaasa-Finland.
Engraving on copper plates, Abo Rebieh uses a printing press to imprint inked plates onto paper. Primarily monochrome, her prints are influenced by the great printmaker Goya, who used printing as a way to circulate and reproduce images for a wider audience during the revolution in Spain.
Abo Rebieh’s work has been exhibited in Damascus, Beirut, Paris, Rome, Istanbul, Sofia, Uzice, Barcelona, Vaasa, London, Oslo, New York and Chicago. Her work is in private collections and public institutions such as The British Museum. Awards include the first prize in the Annual Youth Exhibition in Damascus 2006 and the third prize in Colour of Damascus 2005, Italy, curated by The European Commission Delegation.