Sara Shamma

Sara Shamma (born 26 November 1975) is a Syrian artist based between Damascus and London, whose painterly works She represents Syria at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, thereby becoming the first Syrian artist to present a solo exhibition at the event. Storytelling and narrative are of paramount importance in her work. Shamma has long been preoccupied with the psychology of individual suffering and has produced work on war, modern slavery and human trafficking. Her oeuvre may be divided into series that reflect sustained periods of research.

Early life and education Shamma was born on 26 November 1975 in Damascus, Syria, to a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother. Her father was a civil engineer, and her mother, who had studied sociology and child psychology, later opened the Iris Art Gallery in Damascus. From 1982 to 1985, she attended children's drawing classes at the Adham Isma'il Fine Arts Institute in Damascus, from which she later graduated in 1995. Crucially, during her third year at university, her mother opened an art gallery in Damascus. Shamma did a large graduation show at the university of fine arts in 1998. This show is widely credited with helping to establish her name on the Syrian art scene. This early encounter with ancient portraiture and the concept of memorialising the dead would resurface decades later as the central theme for her exhibition at the 2026 Venice Biennale. This period of teaching coincided with her emergence as a practising artist, leading to her first major international recognition a few years later. Shamma has connected Dalí's approach to her own interest in the subconscious, viewing the act of painting as an intuitive, dreamlike process; she has often stated that she begins a work without a predetermined outcome, a methodology she has likened to dreaming.

Professional career Shamma's international breakthrough came in 2004 when she was awarded fourth prize in the prestigious BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London for a realistic self-portrait, which brought her significant international attention. This led to numerous international exhibitions, including NordArt in Büdelsdorf, Germany (2012), and in 2013, a solo show titled Q at the Royal College of Art and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters' Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, both in London. In 2010, she was appointed a 'Celebrity Partner' artist for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), producing a large-scale painting that was later auctioned at Christie's Dubai to benefit the organisation.

Displacement and move to London The outbreak of the Syrian civil war profoundly disrupted Shamma's life. In late 2012, after a car bomb exploded near her home in Damascus while she was alone with her two young children, she made the decision to leave the country. She first relocated with her children to her mother's hometown in northern Lebanon, while her husband remained in Syria for his business, visiting on weekends. Working in collaboration with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and the Helen Bamber Foundation, she conducted interviews with survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking, an experience she described as emotionally harrowing.

Venice Biennale 2026: The Tower Tomb of Palmyra

Shamma's presentation for the Syrian Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale (from 9 May to 22 November 2026) is titled The Tower Tomb of Palmyra. Curated by Yuko Hasegawa, the former director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan, the exhibition constitutes a solo presentation, a departure from Syria's previous group shows. The pavilion is housed in the open-air courtyard of the Università Iuav di Venezia's Cotonificio campus.

Shamma's project draws its inspiration from the ancient funerary towers of Palmyra, multistorey monuments built between the 1st century BCE and 3rd century CE to house extended families. The artist's fascination with the site began during her university years in Damascus, where she would regularly visit a recreated Palmyra tomb at the National Museum of Damascus. The underground installation, constructed from a mix of original fragments and reconstructed pieces, features rows of burial niches sealed with sculpted portraits of the dead, an approach Shamma describes as "almost like a form of portraiture in Syria." Creating an immersive, multisensory environment, Shamma collaborated with local perfumers in the Damascus souq to develop bespoke scents from herbs and plants native to the Syrian desert. The installation also incorporates a soundscape featuring field recordings from Palmyra, including the sound of wind and sand, to evoke a direct sensory connection to the site. Departing from previous group presentations, the Ministry of Culture commissioned Shamma for a solo exhibition, a format intended to present a stronger, more unified national narrative on a global stage. First exhibited at The Old Truman Brewery in London, the works sought to restore individuality and humanity to the victims of a war that had, in Shamma's view, transcended national borders to become a global crisis.

Modern Slavery (2019–2021) Created during her residency as a King's Artist at King's College London, this series was grounded in first-hand research, developed in collaboration with the university's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and the Helen Bamber Foundation. The series premiered at Bush House, King's College London, before embarking on a nationwide tour of several UK cathedrals, concluding in 2021. The exhibition was widely praised for giving voice to women whose names had been lost to history.

Echoes of 12 Years (2024–2025) A major retrospective survey at the National Museum of Damascus, comprising 27 large-scale works drawn from across the breadth of her career. 2025 – Interference Green, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon. 2024–2025 – Echoes of 12 Years, National Museum of Damascus, Damascus, Syria. 2023–2024 – Bold Spirits, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK. 2022 – Age, curated by Fatina Al Sayed, Contemporary Art Platform CAP Kuwait, Kuwait. 2019 – Modern Slavery, Bush House, King's College London, London, UK. 2017 – London, Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai, UAE. 2015 – World Civil War Portraits, The Old Truman Brewery, London, UK. 2014 – Diaspora, Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai, UAE. 2011 – Birth, Art House, Damascus, Syria. 2009 – Love, 360 MALL, Kuwait. 2008 – Finishing Touch, Knowledge Village, Dubai, UAE. 2008 – Sara 1978, Art House, Damascus, Syria. 2007 – Music, Cornish Club Event Gallery, Kuwait. 2004 – Sara Shamma, Kalemaat Art Gallery, Aleppo and Kuwait. 2002 – Sara Shamma, Nassir Choura Art Gallery, Damascus, Syria. 2001 – Sara Shamma, Shell Cultural Club, Damascus, Syria. 1999 – Sara Shamma, French Cultural Center, Damascus, Syria.

Selected group exhibitions 2025 – Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, Bonhams, London, UK. 2022 – Art for Chance (Children Against Cancer), Mark Hachem Gallery, Paris, France. 2022 – From Rome to Ripon exhibition and commission, Ripon Cathedral, Ripon, UK. 2022 – The Worldwide Fund for Nature Singapore's AR‑mazing Tiger Trail, curated by Chris Westbrook and auctioned by Sotheby's, Singapore. 2021 – Tusk Lion Trail, a high‑profile sculpture trail curated by Chris Westbrook and auctioned by Bonhams, London, UK. 2020 – Modern to Contemporary Female Middle Eastern Artist, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon. 2019 – Middle Eastern, Modern and Contemporary Art, Christie's, London, UK. 2019 – Ruth Borchard Self‑Portrait Prize, Piano Nobile, King's Place, London, UK. 2019 – Multi‑colour, 9 Cork Street, London, UK. 2018 – The Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK. 2018 – New Collective Show, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon. 2015 – Guest artist, 33rd Emirates Fine Arts Society Annual Exhibition, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE. 2013 – The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, The Mall Galleries, London, UK. 2013 – Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy. 2012 – Nord Art 2012, organised by KiC – Kunst in der Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf, Germany. 2010 – Art Prize 2010, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. 2010 – Nord Art 2010, organised by KiC – Kunst in der Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf, Germany. 2010 – Contemporary Art from the Middle East, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai, UAE. 2008/2009 – Damas‑Paris, Regards Croisés, Arab World Institute, Paris, France, and National Museum, Damascus, Syria. 2008 – UAE Through Arabian Eyes, International Financial Centre, Dubai, UAE. 2008 – Syrian Artists, Souq Wakef Art Center, Doha, Qatar. 2008 – The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, and the National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australia. 2007 – Panorama of Syrian Arts, Catzen Arts Centre at The American University, Washington, D.C., USA. 2006 – Syrian Artists, Syrian Cultural Centre, Paris, France. 2005–2006 – International Painting Prize of the Castellon County Council, ESPAId, Castellon, and the Municipal Arts Centre of Alcorcon, Madrid, Spain. 2005 – Women and Arts, International Vision, Expo Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE. 2004–2005 – BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK; Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, UK; Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen, UK; Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, UK; Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, UK. 2004 – Syrian Artists, National Library, Madrid, Spain. 2003 – Festival du Monde Arabe de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. 2002 – Syrian Artists, Gallery Amber, Leiden and Enschede, the Netherlands. 2002 – International Artists, Gallery M-Art, Vienna, Austria. 2002 – Mediterranean Biennial, Kheir El Din Palace, Tunis, Tunisia. 2001 – Two Syrian Artists, Coventry Museum, Coventry, UK. 2001 – Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah, UAE. 2001 – Cairo Biennial, Cairo, Egypt.

Awards and honours 2019 – Artist-in-residence, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London 2019 – Shortlisted, Asian Women of Achievement Awards, London 2019 – Shortlisted, Ruth Borchard Self-portrait Prize, London 2013 – Fourth Prize and Special Mention, Florence Biennale 2010 – Shortlisted, NordArt Prize, Annual International Exhibition, Kunst in der Carlshütte, United States 2008 – First Prize, Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia 2006 – Fine Arts Syndicate Award, Damascus 2006 – Member of the jury, Annual Exhibition for Syrian Artists, Damascus 2005 – Shortlisted, International Painting Prize of the Castellón County Council, Castellón, Spain 2004 – Fourth Prize, BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK 2002 – Represented Syria, Mediterranean Biennial, Kheir El Din Palace, Tunis 2001 – First Prize (Gold Medal), Latakia Biennial, Syria 2000 – Second Prize, Spanish Cultural Center Art Competition, Damascus 2000 – Second Prize, British Council Art Competition, Damascus 1998 – Second Prize, Youth Exhibition, Damascus

Publications Sara Shamma 2000–05, Damascus, 2005 Sara Shamma 2005–07, Damascus, 2007 Sara Shamma: Music, Kuwait, 2007 Sara Shamma, Damascus, 2008 Sara Shamma: Love, Kuwait, 2009 Sara Shamma 2009–10, Damascus, 2011 Sara Shamma: Q, with text by Jessica Lack, Royal College of Art, London, 2013 Diaspora: Sara Shamma, with text by Edward Lucie-Smith, Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai, 2014 Sara Shamma, with text by Edward Lucie-Smith and Sacha Craddock, London, 2014 World Civil War Portraits: Sara Shamma, with text by Sacha Craddock, Old Truman Brewery, London, 2015 London: Sara Shamma, with text by Charlotte Mullins, Art Sawa Gallery, London, 2017 London: Sara Shamma, with text by Charlotte Mullins, London, 2018 Sara Shamma: Modern Slavery, with text by Kathleen Soriano and Dr Sian Oram, King's College London, London, 2019

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