Syrian painter opens solo show in Istanbul

By Hilal Ustuk

ISTANBUL

A solo show by a Syrian painter on Monday opened its doors in Istanbul.

Ibrahim al-Hasan's exhibit "Childhood on the Sidewalk," featuring 20 paintings, had a gala opening at the Independent Arts Foundation in the Fatih district's Cagaloglu neighborhood, on the city’s European side.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, al-Hasan said that he lived in Turkey for four years. Stating that his new technique can be seen in the exhibit, al-Hasan said that it concentrates on children as they are the most vulnerable to the effects of war.

"All of these wars must end now,” he said.

“These children will grow up after a while. We are all responsible for the children who are uneducated and we all have to do something individually."

At the opening gala, Hulya Yazici -- founder and chair of the Independent Arts Foundation – praised al-Hasan as an important artist who has enriched Turkey.

The exhibit will be open for visitors through Nov. 25.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in 2011. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and millions more displaced, according to the UN.

Turkey hosts some 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.

As of November 2017, there were some 620,000 Syrian school-age children enrolled in school in Turkey, according to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.