Syria Today | National Museum hosts Damascus-Paris exhibition

National Museum hosts Damascus-Paris exhibition

The National Museum of Damascus opened its doors to a one-off Syrian-French contemporary art exhibition titled Damascus-Paris: Crossed Glances on October 11.

The exhibition presented the works of some of Syria and France’s most famous contemporary artists, including Youssef Abdelke, Ola Abdullah Mustafa Ali, Ibtissam al-Ansarai, Yasser Hammoud, Georges Bahgory, Christophe Blanc, Jean Jacques Lapoirie and Tariff Raslain.

Syria’s Minister of Culture Riyadh Na’san Agha and France’s Ambassador to Syria Eric Chevallier both attended the opening of the event.

During the planning of the exhibition, Syrian and French artists were introduced to each other in Paris and Damascus where they discussed their art works and ideas. The exhibition aimed to bolster cultural ties between the two countries and “create a dialogue between the two great capitals”, exhibition director Nada Karami said.

“We worked with artists for this dialogue because it’s an honest form of expression,” she said. “We really wanted to see really what people think of each others cities.”

The Syrian-French exhibition was sponsored by a number of local and French companies.

“The exhibition is an excellent opportunity for Syrians to exchange ideas and experiences with French artists,” MTN Syria Chief Marketing Officer Ziad Sabah said. “It also gives local and foreign artists a chance to meet and hold workshops.”