Hala

'Hala' is a five-piece series inspired by the events of the Syrian Civil war from 2011 to the present day. The five mixed media painting series centres on the young girl Hala (translating to Halo in Arabic), a child living in the war-torn city of Aleppo. Following a journey through innocent eyes as our eyes gaze at each piece - from witnessing the conflict to gaining hope. Each painting works individually but when placed side by side, the story is essentially brought together. The first piece of Hala depicts innocence faced with violence and bloodshed. The presence of the teddy bear repeats throughout the series, as a symbol of the normality of childhood. As we progress through each piece, the teddy bear becomes a recurring symbol of Hala’s hope for having a normal life, yet Hala is continuously surrounded by distress, war and pain. Hala represents the 2.5 million children forced to become refugees, and the 14.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria, including over 6 million internally displaced people.