London and Syria - Original, Hand-Drawn Art
‘LONDON and SYRIA’ - the first of a new series, ‘Love Has No Borders’ which I have created in support of the incredible charity Choose Love. 100% of the sale of this original piece of art will be donated to Choose Love .
As you know, my work often combines two or three cities with a unique story behind it. As refugees seek a new home to build new lives, they are leaving behind a place that has been their home for generations. This series is about bringing those homes together. It’s also about opening our minds and opening our arms to those who seek sanctuary, breaking barriers and transforming how refugees are often perceived.
This piece combines London and Syria. The 15th of March marked the ten year anniversary of the civil war in Syria that has caused death and devastation on an enormous scale.
It includes Hammam Yalbugha and The Minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo, which were both destroyed in the war, drawn as they were before their destruction. It also includes the ruins of the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites. This tells the story of the conditions that have forced Syrian refugees to flee, and also the sadness of seeing such historic and beautiful monuments be ruined by war.
‘LONDON and SYRIA’ - the first of a new series, ‘Love Has No Borders’ which I have created in support of the incredible charity Choose Love. 100% of the sale of this original piece of art will be donated to Choose Love .
As you know, my work often combines two or three cities with a unique story behind it. As refugees seek a new home to build new lives, they are leaving behind a place that has been their home for generations. This series is about bringing those homes together. It’s also about opening our minds and opening our arms to those who seek sanctuary, breaking barriers and transforming how refugees are often perceived.
This piece combines London and Syria. The 15th of March marked the ten year anniversary of the civil war in Syria that has caused death and devastation on an enormous scale.
It includes Hammam Yalbugha and The Minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo, which were both destroyed in the war, drawn as they were before their destruction. It also includes the ruins of the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites. This tells the story of the conditions that have forced Syrian refugees to flee, and also the sadness of seeing such historic and beautiful monuments be ruined by war.
‘LONDON and SYRIA’ - the first of a new series, ‘Love Has No Borders’ which I have created in support of the incredible charity Choose Love. 100% of the sale of this original piece of art will be donated to Choose Love .
As you know, my work often combines two or three cities with a unique story behind it. As refugees seek a new home to build new lives, they are leaving behind a place that has been their home for generations. This series is about bringing those homes together. It’s also about opening our minds and opening our arms to those who seek sanctuary, breaking barriers and transforming how refugees are often perceived.
This piece combines London and Syria. The 15th of March marked the ten year anniversary of the civil war in Syria that has caused death and devastation on an enormous scale.
It includes Hammam Yalbugha and The Minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo, which were both destroyed in the war, drawn as they were before their destruction. It also includes the ruins of the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites. This tells the story of the conditions that have forced Syrian refugees to flee, and also the sadness of seeing such historic and beautiful monuments be ruined by war.
What does it mean to be a refugee? It means you are escaping conditions that are so dangerous that you have no choice but to risk your own life and the lives of your loved ones, getting on a boat into the unknown in hope that you can find somewhere safer to exist. Unfortunately, the conditions refugees are met with once they have escaped in hope to find safety, if they can even make it to land, can often by just as dangerous as where they have escaped. They are often met with exploitation, violence and slavery.
Remember that many of these refugees are unaccompanied children, and how frighteningly vulnerable they are.
I can only urge you to imagine to put yourself in the shoes of another human being, and remember that all that separates us is where we were born, which is something that none of us can choose.
There is so much work to be done and we can all be a part of that in so many different ways, if we just care enough to try. Don’t resign yourself to thinking the actions of one person can’t change anything. They CAN.
If you feel moved by the issue but you don’t know where to start, please explore @chooselove on Instagram, visit their website, learn about the amazing work they do to fill the gaps of protection for refugees and displaced people of which unfortunately there are so many, and the amazing partners they work with. You can also listen to a really informative and moving podcast hosted by Jameela Jamil with Josie Naughton, co-founder and CEO of Choose Love.