A talk about producing art in a war zone. Syrian photographer Issa Touma will present a poignant diary on everyday life in Syria and explain why it is important to continue working as an intellectual. Touma´s house has been destroyed, yet he keeps his gallery open and is determined to stay in Aleppo.
Learn more about this event on the LPD website.
Featured Biographies
Issa Touma
Photographer
Issa Touma lives and works in Aleppo. Touma is a prominent figure in the Syrian art scene. He began his career as a photographer in the early 90s. Finding himself isolated from the international art world and photography scene, in 1992 he established Black and White, a gallery in Aleppo dedicated to photography. After its closure, in 1996 he founded Le Pont Organization and Gallery, an independent art organization to promote freedom of expression and stimulate the local art scene through international events. In Spring 2012, Touma initiated the Art Camping Workshops, in the attempt to counterbalance the violence of the insurgency with artistic interventions around Aleppo. Touma commitment to bringing world photography shows to Syria in festivals he hosted and organized since 1997. He also organized the 8th Women´s Art Festival, which had more then 70,000 visitors. In 2006 Touma served as artistic consultant for the exhibition Images of Syria, at Moestings Hus, Copenhagen, which included photographs from his series Aleppo from Above together with other Syrian & Danish Photographers. He also served as juror in the Backlight Photo Festival in Finland in 2014. More recently, Issa Touma contributed to the short film 9 Days – From my Window in Aleppo, an initiative of Dutch filmmakers Floor van der Meulen and Thomas Vroege, who compiled the footage captured by Issa Touma.