Sara Shamma has been appointed representative artist for the Syrian Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Curated by Yuko Hasegawa and titled “The Tower Tomb of Palmyra,” the solo presentation marks Syria’s renewed international cultural presence following the end of the Syrian Civil War in 2024. 

Returning to Damascus in late 2024 after eight years in London, Shamma has continued to develop her research-driven practice rooted in psychologically charged portraiture. Her work probes themes of humanity, loss, resilience, and identity through subjects such as war, modern slavery, and human trafficking. Having exhibited internationally for almost three decades, she was shortlisted for London’s Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize and the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in Arts & Culture (both 2019), and received major honors including the Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize (2008) and the first prize (the golden medal) in painting at the Latakia Biennial (2001). In 2010, she was appointed a celebrity partner of the United Nations World Food Programme. 

Based in Tokyo and Kyoto, Hasegawa is a research professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Management, program director of the Art & Design Division at the International House of Japan, and artistic director of the Inujima “Art House Project.” Formerly director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, she received France’s Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2024) and Japan’s Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award (2020).

Syria's 2026 national pavilion will foreground the country's cultural heritage while advocating for the restitution of antiquities looted during the Syrian War. Featuring a monumental installation inspired by Palmyra’s ancient funerary towers, the exhibition integrates painting, architecture, light, sound, and scent into an immersive environment. 

In a press release, Shamma stated, “This exhibition is not only a reflection on loss, but a message of hope, unity, and the importance of protecting and restoring our shared heritage."

The Syrian Pavilion will be located in Cotonificio campus’s courtyard of the Università Iuav di Venezia, on view from May 9 to November 22.

Yuqian Fan is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.