Wavering Hope

Established in 2006, during a time of cultural vibrancy and promise, Ayyam Gallery has navigated the full arc of Syria’s recent history—from creative renaissance to collapse, and now to cautious renewal.

This year’s Summer Collective, titled Wavering Hope reflects on that journey, presenting works by Kais Salman, Khaled Takreti, Tammam Azzam, Abdalla Al Omari, Othman Moussa, Safwan Dahoul, Thaier Helal, Elias Izoli, Abdul Karim Majdal Al Beik, Mohannad Orabi, Nihad Al Turk, and Yasmine Al Awa. Through their individual visions, these artists map the emotional, political, and cultural aftermath of conflict, and the fragile hope that emerges in its wake.

This exhibition is not only a collective meditation on survival but also a record of artistic persistence. Each work invites us to pause and confront the complexity of healing in the aftermath of trauma. The artists’ works grapple with the contrast between the “before” and “after”—portraying a homeland perpetually oscillating between destruction and re-birth, mourning and hope.

The show is a reminder that in Syria, hope is rarely straightforward. It is layered with doubt, shadowed by memory, and always vulnerable to being undone. Yet it endures. And in the hands of these artists, it is made visible—transformed into images, forms, and gestures that challenge us to remember, to reflect, and to imagine something beyond despair.

As Ayyam Gallery marks two decades of preserving and championing Syrian contemporary art, this exhibition stands as a testament to a generation that has not only survived history, but shaped it—one brushstroke, one canvas, one voice at a time.