Mohamad Hafez: Telling the Story of Millions of Silenced Voices

‘Architecture has the unique ability to illustrate the narrative of its occupants’– Mohamad Hafez

Mohamad Hafez’s work aims to raise awareness about the Syrian culture, and how much is at risk on a human level as consequence to the ongoing political turmoil. Born in Damascus, raised in Saudi Arabia and educated in the United States, Hafez has deep-rooted connections with the conflict whilst having a rounded perspective from a Western standpoint. He channels his deep affection for his homeland into architectural sculptures resembling destructed streetscapes, enriched with the “layers and layers of human interaction” in which he “humanizes” the conflict. He believes it is easy to detach yourself from seemingly far away conflicts, but by reinforcing the “human traces” in his pieces it engages more people emotionally.

The re-construction of the urban fabric of Damascus acts as a mirror, reflecting upon the bitter reality of civil war: the magnitude of loss of culture and human life. “I am trying to yell as loud as I can the pain of my people” it is impossible to remodel the fragmentation of Syrian culture and the overwhelming amount of grief enforced upon innocent people. However, for Hafez to “remodel the destruction of his country by his own hands […] with the blood and displacement of his own country” is a task that is not easy. He must not only break down his own emotion barriers, but the Western barriers put up to detach Eastern and Western issues. The contemporary artist feels that the world is suffering from a “global moral and conscious crisis” as the world is looking away.

Capturing both past and present realities, the structures push the viewer to imagine the suffering that bridges them. Dark, and pessimistic in appearance, the streetscapes expose the “layers of society, layers of life” that have been built up over thousands of years being “decimated before our eyes”. Using found objects, scrap metal mostly, plaster and paint he builds surrealist depictions of mass-destruction. How the pieces are displayed, showcase the stark contrast between East and West as his structures of electrifying grief embellished with the annihilation of ancient history sit in a clean, white gallery. Hafez’s work features audio tracks he recorded before the war in 2011; these include calls to Prayer and children playing in the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque. Utilising these recordings make more explicit for viewers, the nostalgia displaced Syrians feel. As well as audio layers, are written layers to his work via the vehicle of graffiti. Subsequently, Hafez feels “even the walls are speaking” to the viewer. The poignancy of the graffiti is in its religio-political charged incentive. Through the graffiti, Hafez injects his own messages of hope through Arabic writings and Quranic verses. One reference featured is the 63rd of the 99 names of Allah, Al-Malik Al-Mulk meaning ‘the owner of all’. This captures the pain of losing the lives of children in conflict.

Showcasing a tragic story shared by a nation, Hafez reveals the true fragility of the human condition. His work induces self-reflection, leaving viewers to question why innocent people are entangled with political agendas. Human life is a blessing, and should therefore be treated sacredly. Although with millions dying due to these conflicts, the notion that human life is disposable is ratified.