Homs Sweet Homs

In 2016 I interviewed 14 men, women, and children who were forced to flee Syria’s Civil War. Primarily from the city of Homs, these survivors had resettled in Toledo, Ohio, with the help of Corine Dehabey and US Together Organization.

The interviewees stories of displacement and travel were then used in three artworks. Their words were physically printed and embedded in the surface of three paintings depicting the severity of the war in Homs and a Jordinian Refugee Camp many passed through. The words were then removed, eating away at the surface image.

These pieces strive toward a stark reminder that what happens on our screens can seem distant and unreal, yet human lives are engulfed in the struggles of war, death, and forced relocation every day. The imagery of war is always brutal; by allowing survivors a platform and voice in the recounting of a war which most Americans hear about only through analysts and pundits, I hope this project interjects humanity and person-hood into our conversations about foreign policy and war intervention.

Thanks Corine Dehabey for her time and translation assistance. You can find out more about US Together here: http://ustogether.us/

Thanks to Christina Vassalo and SPACES for their belief in this project and including it in the exhibition The First 100 Days https://www.spacesgallery.org/project/the-first-100-days

Each piece is 43”x45”, 2016-18, Acrylic Ink on gesso on panel, with negative relief text