Artist Interview: Layal Watfeh
Get to know the Toronto-based Syrian award-winning musician, voice actor, and composer Layal Watfeh
July 4, 2024
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Issa ToumaIssa Touma
How does one capture the essence of a city that has been ravaged by war, yet still holds a glimmer of hope and resilience? Issa Touma, a Syrian photographer and cinematographer, has dedicated his life and art to answering this question. Through his films, photographs, and initiatives, he reveals the stories of Aleppo and its people, from the horrors of the conflict to the joys of everyday life.
Issa Touma is a world-renowned Syrian photographer and cinematographer. He is one of the last artists working in Aleppo and goes into the depths of the city’s ruins to find new perspectives and shed light on memory and reality. Issa’s work has made its way into numerous international collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London & FOMU Museum in Antwerp.
In 2016, his short film ‘9 Days from My Window in Aleppo’, documenting his experience of the war from his apartment, was very well received overseas. It earned a European Film Award for Best Short Film, a Best Short Film award at the London Film Festival, and a Tribute Award at the International Short Film Festival in New York. The film has over 12 million views on YouTube. Issa has opened photographic exhibitions in Europe, including ‘Stories from Lost Cities’ (2015) and ‘Women We Have Not Lost Yet’ (2016). Issa was an artist in residence in the Swedish city of Gävle with a scholarship from the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) from 2016 to March 2018.
These days, Issa can be found in his gallery in Aleppo. Le Pont Gallery and the adjoining Le Pont Art Organisation were founded in 1996 to promote freedom of speech and stimulate the local art scene through events and exhibitions. Issa runs an initiative called ‘Art Camping’, which is a collective of Syrians from different religious and ethnic backgrounds that aims to foster resistance to political and religious radicalism through artistic interventions and cultural dialogue. Issa’s most recent film, ‘Young in Aleppo’ (2022), documents the lives of Aleppan youth living in the aftermath of war and through devastating economic conditions in their pursuit of normality and happiness. He is working on a collection of portraits and stories of strong women living in Aleppo, entitled ‘Freedom of Choice’ (2022). Overall, the breadth of Issa’s work is awe-inspiring..
Issa has shown to be an artist in a classic sense, craftily utilizing science, calculation, and strategy to bring out unique perspectives, detail, and beauty in his subjects.
