Delawer Omar has had a taste of the regime’s repression from an early age. The artist, who was born in Damascus in 1986 and is based in Switzerland, comes from a family with a long history in the political opposition. His father spent several years in prisons of the Assad regime, and according to Omar, this background has had a “profound influence on his life and especially on his art and political activity.”
The artist began his art career with a touch of impressionism to his oil paintings, while recently he adopted a new style of painting: warm colors and chaotic strokes of paint that find their way to the heart without permission. To define his art-style, Omar often repeats “I don't try to capture the beauty of the things I see, I explore the emotions I feel when I see them.“
“Painting is a tool to express something that can't be fathomed by words.” He says to Syria Untold, which is why Omar has always tried to explain himself and his standpoints through lines and colors.
His painting, “Winds of Change”, which he finished before the revolution in Syria came out of his belief that “the Syrian people, in all its backgrounds, will eventually revolt against this regime that has been ruled by the sword for four decades.” The outbreak of the Syrian uprising with all its bravery and steadfastness, lent the artist the hope and determination he needed to paint more and be a creative, true voice within the madness. “This is an orphaned revolution,” he sadly admits, “no one was there to give Syrians a helping hand in their time of need.” Nevertheless, the artist believes that despite the horrifying carnage that is taking place in his homeland, the price that Syrian youth has paid will not go to waste.
The distance keeping Delawer away from home, didn't stop him from being as close to Syria as can be. His paintings were an expression of Syrians' pain, and their dreams of freedom, dignity and peace. These dreams grew beyond Omar's own suffering and hatred against the regime, and turned into an open place that expresses the collective concerns and aspires of the Syrian people.
