Aboud Salman | Euphrates storyteller

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Aboud Salman, "Al Mayadeen," 2020-2021

acrylic on canvas, 48x60". Courtesy of the Gallery.

The Euphrates storyteller exhibition explores the life and experiences of Aboud Salman as a refugee artist. It tells the artist’s tale of displacement, from his struggles and experiences amidst political turmoil and war in his home city of Al Mayadin, Syria, to his quest for peace miles away in Canada. Through a series of drawings, paintings, videos, and fabrics, the exhibition showcases a body of works that are both a personal portrayal of the artist’s life, and simultaneously a visual exploration of traditional Syrian folk art and it’s cultural and historical symbols.

Aboud Salman’s career as a painter, plastic artist, educator, and writer has spanned more than three decades. Aboud has exhibited his art in 15 countries across Europe and the Middle East. He had a successful studio in his hometown Al Mayadin, Syria, where he lived with his wife Soaad and four sons and taught art to high school students. Soon after the Syria war started ISIS took control of his town. Aboud’s studio was bombed and much of his art destroyed. He also received death threats and in 2012 was forced to leave his family, town, country, and art behind.

On November 23, 2017 Aboud and his family arrived as refugees in Edmonton. Since his arrival in Edmonton, Aboud has been working to re-establish himself as a professional artist.