Sculpture forum held in Tortuous

31 March، 2015

Tartous, SANA – Ten Syrian sculptors are participating in a sculpture forum held at the Memorial of Sheikh Saleh al-Ali Square in the town of Sheikh Badr in Tartous province.

The forum, which began its activities on Monday and will be concluded on April 13, is organized by the Culture Ministry. It honors al-Ali and those who fought alongside him against French occupation.

Sculptor Abdelhamid, who is participating in the forum and supervising it, said the idea behind this event is to create tangible works of art that would last for hundreds of year and commemorate the great figures who fought against occupation, adding that his sculpture symbolizes the consecration of the concept of resistance in the hearts and minds of Syrians.

In turn, sculptor Mohammad Baajano chose to depict the Syrian eagle in his piece as a simple symbol of resistance and dignity, while fellow sculptor Fouad Abu Assaf chose to sculpt a piece depicting a centaur carrying a spear to symbolize the concept of defending and resistance.

Issa Salama to chose to employ an abstract and minimal approach to his sculpture, while Hadi Obeid chose a piece depicting a man carrying a peace flag formed from soaring birds.

Meanwhile, Obai Hatoum decided to depict a guard a shield and spear, and Waddah Salameh also chose to sculpt an eagle, but added a Phoenician boat and minimalistic portraits of Syrian soldiers to the piece.

The piece Aktham Salloum is working on is based on the concept of Syria as a mother standing up to raging winds, carrying a sword in one hand and an olive branch in the other.

Sculptor Ali Sleiman elected to adopt an expressive style in a piece symbolzing the relation between the flag and the earth, while Alaa Mohammad based his piece on the idea of “breaking the collar” that binds someone.

The finished pieces will be displayed at the square.