Just weeks had passed since the demise of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime when Marwan Tayara, the director of the Madad Art Institute — a sanctuary for aspiring artists — was unexpectedly confronted by a loud knock at the door of the late Syrian artist Buthayna Ali’s residence.
A group of heavily armed men, posing as fighters from Syria’s new administration, forcibly entered the property, led by a man who introduced himself as Abu Khalil al-Dimashqi, meaning ‘The Damascene’ in English.
Although the residence had been donated to the Madad Art Institute by Buthayna before she died in 2024, the intruders claimed they needed to take control of the institute to gather information on detainees, but provided no documents or evidence to support their claim.
Speaking about the horrors of the event and efforts to resist threats to Syria’s cultural scene, The New Arab sat down with Marwan and Syrian creatives to share their stories.
A stand against cultural theft
“Those who attempted to take the institute were fighters who had been securing the area following the regime’s fall. Their attempt to capture the headquarters of Madad was carried out in a way that suggested they viewed the site as a ‘spoil of war,’” Marwan began.
Marwan added that when he returned to Madad the next day, he found the locks had been changed and was told he had only hours to remove belongings, including artwork, equipment, and materials for an upcoming exhibition featuring over 40 of Syria’s top artists.
Taken by surprise, Marwan revealed that he was given a deadline to vacate the location — an ancient Damascene house in the historic quarter of the city — with no alternative options.
Responding to Abu Khalil al-Dimashqi’s actions, Marwan told The New Arab that he claimed a neighbour’s complaint about the location, to which the department official responded that the complaint had a legal process to follow and that he had no right to encroach on private property.
Marwan later explained to The New Arab that, thankfully, details of the illegal seizure spread on social media, sparking widespread anger among journalists and Syria’s creative community.
As Marwan mentioned, the anger caused by the situation led to quick action from the HTS-led authorities, who punished those responsible for illegally taking private property.
“Through the power of social media and the support of those who love us and appreciate art in the country, directors, journalists, and artists all came to our aid. We were able to reach the political decision-makers, find a solution, and someone from the government intervened to resolve the situation, without prior knowledge of what had happened,” said Marwan.
Saving Syria’s artistic legacy
For many Syrians, the institute is very important and saving it from theft is a huge relief.
As Marwan explains, the institute was Buthayna’s life’s work, where she spent years supporting Syria’s cultural scene, inspiring new artists, and organising group exhibitions with unseen works in the country.
For example, the 2022 open-air exhibition Once Upon a Time, a Window, conceptualised by Buthayna and curated by 16 emerging artists, featured 15,000 white ceramic doves displayed in various shapes and forms throughout the narrow streets of Bab Sharqi in old Damascus.
“This foundation has embraced hundreds of artists from various backgrounds. As a member of the Madad team, like many others, I felt a mix of emotions at the thought of losing this place we considered our home. True freedom and victory lie in the ability to express your opinion with sincerity, transparency, and a loud voice when you are right,” said Hala Abdul Ghafour, a coordinator at Madad.
Hala added, “My identity is Syrian, and Madad is a part of my life and home. As Dr Buthayna expressed in her artwork, We: The greatest challenges lie ahead in politics, the economy, religion, love, war versus peace, and love versus hate. We are here and everywhere, we are alive. We are human.”
In saying this, Hala recalled a statement once shared by Buthayna Ali: “I am a Syrian female artist. This is my everlasting statement.”
New beginnings
Unsurprisingly, the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has marked a new beginning for many Syrian creatives who had endured decades of censorship, neglect, and restrictions under the watchful eye of Syria’s ruthless ‘Mukhabarat’ system, which choked the country’s cultural life.
The creative community in Syria was among the happiest to see the regime fall, including rising artist Joumana Mortada, who has previously worked with Madad.
Initially intending to leave the country but deciding to stay after the regime fell, Joumana told The New Arab, “This is the first collapse of the regime we have witnessed, so it was a joint celebration across generations, marking the end of a regime that ruled us for over 60 years.”
Joumana added, “As Syrians who have lived here, we know how much fear we lived with in this country. We were even afraid to write on WhatsApp or social media. The idea that we can now paint what we want and speak freely about anything is a powerful feeling, something we’ve never experienced before.
“It’s a responsibility that now falls on all Syrians. My house and atelier are in old Damascus, and as Syrian youth, we have so much energy to offer. Old Damascus is my area, my street, my home. My neighbours are Muslims, Christians, and even Jewish inhabitants, and I hope that this co-existence remains the same.”
Meanwhile, artist Rand Al-Mufti captured the thoughts of many in Syria’s frustrated cultural community.
Rand shared, “I am one of the people who went out protesting in Damascus as early as 2012. We wanted a revolution, freedom, and a sense of belonging to this country, especially when there was so much shelling in Eastern Ghouta. We had to stop and were silenced.
“It’s like a switch in your mind. I was watching the regime soldiers as they surrounded and fled near al-Mezzeh. It had been a dream since 2011, and that dream has now been realised.”
Looking to the future, the fall of the Baath Party, which ruled Syria for over 50 years, signals a hopeful new era with more freedom for creativity and culture.
Danny Makki is an analyst covering the internal dynamics of the conflict in Syria, he specialises in Syria’s relations with Russia and Iran
Follow him on X: @danny_makki
