Sara Shamma ( ar, سارة شمّة) (born 26 November 1975) is a UK-based Syrian artist whose paintings are figurative in style. The importance of storytelling and narrative is paramount in her work. Shamma has a long-standing interest in the psychology associated with the suffering of individuals and has made work on the subject of war, modern slavery and human trafficking. Her works can be divided into series that reflect prolonged periods of research.

Professional career

Shamma, was born in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

(1975) to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother. She graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Damascus in 1998. She moved to London in 2016 where she currently lives and works, under the auspices of an Exceptional Talent Visa. Shamma has taught at the Adham Ismail Fine Arts Institute in Damascus (1997–2000). Shamma was selected as one of the prize winners for the 2004 BP Portrait Award. She was subsequently invited to participate in a number of solo and group exhibitions around the world, including Q at the Royal College of Art, 2013, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters' Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in 2013, and NordArt in Büdelsdorf, Germany in 2012. In 2010 she was selected as the 'Celebrity Partner' artist to the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP).

Selected solo exhibitions

* 2019 – ''Sara Shamma: Modern Slavery'', Bush House, The Strand,

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, London * 2017 – ''London'', Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai, UAE * 2015 – ''World Civil War Portraits'', The Old Truman Brewery, London * 2014 – ''Diaspora'', Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai * 2013 – ''Q'', Royal College of Art, London * 2011 – ''Birth'', Art House, Damascus * 2009 – ''Love'', 360 MALL, Kuwait * 2008 – ''Sara Shamma Finishing Touch'', Knowledge Village, Dubai * 2008 – ''Sara 1978'', Art House, Damascus * 2007 – ''Music'', Cornish Club Event Gallery, Kuwait * 2004 – ''Sara Shamma'', Kalemaat Art Gallery, Aleppo and Kuwait * 2002 – ''Sara Shamma'', Nassir Choura Art Gallery, Damascus * 2001 – ''Sara Shamma'', Shell Cultural Club, Damascus * 1999 – ''Sara Shamma'', French Cultural Center, Damascus

Selected group exhibitions

* 2019 – ''The

Ruth Borchard Ruth Borchard (1910–2000) was a British writer who created a collection of self-portraits made by 100 modern British artists, the Ruth Borchard Collection. A notable work of Borchard's was ''John Stuart Mill: the Man''. Early and personal li ...

Self-portrait Prize'',

Piano Nobile The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...

, King's Place, London * 2019 – ''Multi-colour'', 9 Cork Street, London * 2018 – The Summer Exhibition,

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

, London * 2018 – New collective show, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon * 2015 – Guest artist, 33rd Emirates Fine Arts Society Annual Exhibition, Sharjah Art Museum * 2013 – The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition,

The Mall Galleries The Galleries (formerly The Mall Bristol, but originally opened in 1991 as The Galleries Shopping Centre) is a shopping mall situated in the Broadmead shopping centre in Bristol city centre, England. Functioning as one of the city's retail malls ...

, London * 2013 – Florence Biennale, Florence * 2012 – ''Nord Art 2012'' organised by KiC – Kunst in der Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf * 2010 – Art Prize 2010, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, Michigan * 2010 – ''Nord Art 2010'' organized by KiC – Kunst in der Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf * 2010 – Contemporary Art from the Middle East, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai * 2008/9 – ''Damas-Paris, Regards Croisés'', The Arab World Institute, Paris and National Museum, Damascus * 2008 – ''UAE Through Arabian Eyes'', International Financial Centre, Dubai * 2008 – ''Syrian Artists'', Souq Wakef Art Center, Doha * 2008 – ''The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize'', South Australian Museum, Adelaide and the National Archives of Australia, Canberra * 2007 – ''Panorama of Syrian Arts'', Catzen Arts Centre at The American University, Washington D.C. * 2006 – ''Syrian Artists'', Syrian Cultural Centre, Paris * 2005-06 – International Painting Prize of the Castellon County Council, ESPAId, Castellon and the Municipal Arts Centre of Alcorcon, Madrid * 2005 – ''Women and Arts'', International Vision, Expo Sharjah, Sharjah * 2004/5 ''BP Portrait Award'',

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

, London; Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter; Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen; Royal West of England Academy, Bristol; Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth * 2004 – ''Syrian Artists'', National Library, Madrid * 2003 – Festival du Monde Arabe de Montreal, Montreal * 2002 – ''Syrian Artists'', Gallery Amber, Leiden and Enschede, The Netherlands * 2002 – ''International Artists'', Gallery M-Art, Vienna * 2002 – Mediterranean Biennial, Kheir El Din Palace, Tunis * 2001 – ''Two Syrian Artists'', Coventry Museum, Coventry * 2001 – Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah * 2001 – Cairo Biennial, Cairo

Selected public collections

* British Council *

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

, Damascus * Ministry of Culture, Damascus * Spanish Cultural Center, Damascus

Awards and honours

* 2019 – Artist-in-residence with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at

* 2019 – Shortlisted Asian Women of Achievement Awards, London * 2019 – Shortlisted

Self-portrait Prize, London * 2013 – 4th prize and Special Mention, Florence Biennale * 2010 – Shortlisted NordArt Prize, the Annual International Exhibition, Kunst in der Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf, Germany * 2010 – United Nations Food programmes Celebrity Partner * 2009 – Second Prize in Painting of the Art/Literary Competition, ''

Sculptural Pursuit ''Sculptural Pursuit'' was a quarterly art/literary magazine published by Hammer & Pen Productions, a Denver, Colorado publishing company. The magazine focuses on sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three d ...

'' magazine, United States * 2008 – 1st prize

Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, formerly the Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, is a biennial competition for artists, with a science theme, organised by the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, South Australia. History The priz ...

, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia * 2006 – Fine Arts Syndicate Award, Damascus * 2006 – Member of the jury for the Annual Exhibition for Syrian Artists, Damascus * 2005 – Shortlisted for the International Painting Prize of the Castellon County Council, Castellon, Spain * 2004: Fourth Prize at the BP Portrait Award at the

, London, UK * 2002 – Represented Syria in the Mediterranean Biennial, Kheir El Din Palace, Tunis * 2001 – 1st prize (Golden Medal) in Latakia Biennial, Syria * 2000 – 2nd prize Spanish Cultural Center Art Competition, Damascus * 2000 – 2nd prize British Council Art Competition, Damascus * 1998 – 2nd prize Youth Exhibition, Damascus

Publications

Hidden in plain sight (2019) - Sara Shamma

* ''Sara Shamma'' 2000-05, Damascus'', 2005 * ''Sara Shamma'' 2005-07, Damascus, 2007 * ''Sara Shamma'' Music, Kuwait, 2007 * ''Sara Shamma'', Damascus, 2008 * ''Sara Shamma Love'', Kuwait, 2009 * ''Sara Shamma 2009-10'', Damascus, 2011 * ''Sara Shamma Q'' by Jessica Lack, Royal College of Art, London, 2013 * ''Diaspora Sara Shamma'' by Edward Lucie-Smith, Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai, 2014 * ''Sara Shamma'' by Edward Lucie-Smith and

Sacha Craddock Sacha Craddock (born August 6, 1955) is an independent art critic, writer & curator based in London. Craddock is co-founder of Artschool Palestine, co-founder or the Contemporary Art Award and council member of the Abbey Awards in Painting at the ...

, London, 2014 * ''World Civil War Portraits: Sara Shamma'' by Sacha Craddock, Old Truman Brewery, London, 2015 * ''London Sara Shamma'' by Charlotte Mullins, Art Sawa Gallery, London, 2017 * ''London Sara Shamma'' by Charlotte Mullins, London, 2018 * ''Sara Shamma: Modern Slavery'' by

Kathleen Soriano Kathleen Soriano (born 18 July 1963) is a British independent arts curator, writer and television broadcaster. Background Kathleen Soriano was born in 1963 in London to parents Salvador Soriano and Kathleen O'Neill. She studied at the University ...

and Dr Sian Oram,

, London, 2019

References

External links

Sara Shamma official website

King's College artist in residence

BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London

Ruth Borchard Collection

The Jalanbo Collection

Sara Shamma's interview with Forward Magazine

Sara Shamma WFP Celebrity Partner

Bait al Qasid with Zahi Wehbe
Al Mayadeen TV, Beirut, Lebanon, 10 February 2019
Artist's works show agony of war in Syria
CNN, February 2016
Syrian artist, Sara Shamma, fled the war with her family to start a new life in Lebanon
Rome report TV, Rome, Italy, 28 August 2016
Exiled Syrian artist paints portraits of a brutal war
Zain Asher, CNN, 12 May 2015
Syrian artist exhibits 'World Civil War Portraits'
Today programme, BBC radio 4, 13 May 2015
Conflict of interest
the Monocle Weekly, Monocle 24, 17 May 2015
The Syrian tragedy in Sara Shamma's paintings
Al Jazeera (Arabic), 17 May 2015
Syrian painter ”war changed my art”
Outlook podcast, BBC, London, December, 2014
Episode at Al Aan TV
2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Shamma, Sara 1975 births Living people Syrian women painters People from Damascus Syrian contemporary artists 20th-century Syrian painters 21st-century Syrian painters 20th-century women artists 21st-century women artists