Oroubah DIEB
Painter

Oroubah received a production grant in partnership with the Atelier des Artistes en Exil. 

What is your artistic background ?
I began my career in Damascus, Syria, I studied sculpture in several institutes (Adham Ismael Institute, the Institute of Applied Arts). Then, between 1991 and 2012, I cooperated with the Syrian Ministry of Culture by participating in many events and I managed the Chantout Institute of Art, founded by my husband Hamoud Chantout. In 2012, I started painting, before that I was mainly sculpting. Since 1991, I have been exhibiting internationally (in Germany, Canada, the United States, Kuwait, Dubai, Syria and Lebanon). From 2012 to 2016, I taught sculpture and painting to Syrian refugee children with the association "Najda Now" in Lebanon. I volunteered to teach Syrian children in Paris in cooperation with the American university and the Souria Houria association. 

How do you see your profession today ?
I express in my works all that I have personally experienced. Before the revolution in Syria, I dealt with social subjects (motherhood, love, dance...), and after the war, these subjects were transformed. I am mainly interested in the theme of immigration and the difficulties faced by Syrian refugees in exile. 

How do you see yourself in five years ? In 10 years ?
I aspire to convey the message of the Syrian refugees in the camps, on the widest possible scale, to draw attention to these people and try to save them. I wish to take advantage of new experiences to develop my skills and to have the widest possible audience, especially in Paris. I hope to get better known and to be able to exhibit in prestigious galleries.

This interview was conducted in 2019
Photo credit: Céline Anaya Gautier