Abu Malik al-Shami
Abu Malik al-Shami
His street art draws attention to the country's civil war and serves as a critique of the political turmoil in the region.
He joined the Free Syrian Army in 2013 as a teenager and soon used his sketchbook to artistically interpret the damage in Darayya, which is located approximately 10 kilometers from the center of Damascus.
Shami paints his murals during sunrise, sunset, or under moonlight in the quietest times in order to avoid being shot by sniper or raided by bombs.
He would fight on the front lines and paint during his free time.
He painted over 30 murals during his time in Darayya.
Shami signs his murals with “Darayya” to symbolize the connectedness he felt with the people of that city in the struggle to survive [7].
In 2016 he fled to Idlib in northern Syria, which is controlled by rebel forces.
Before fleeing Darayya, he documented all of his murals and graffiti in photos to preserve them [8].
He continues to paint his street art in Idlib.
He interviewed with BBC's Outlook broadcast program on September 21, 2016 [6].