BFA+MFA 2022

Abdulrhman Alkhatib, Syrian Phonebook, mixed media, 2022. This project showcases a set of out-of-service numbers that have been crossed out from the Syrian phone book to reflect the tragedy of the destroyed cities in Syria, shedding light on the human rights violations and violence that were practiced by the armed forces against defenseless civilians during the war. About a third of the buildings in Syria have been partially or completely destroyed by bombing. Homes filled with families, stories, and dreams have been completely wiped off the map, but cannot be erased from any human heart.

Abdulrhman Alkhatib, Traitorous Notebooks, mixed media, 2022. A reworked copy of a Syrian school notebook from the eighties, with a “14 years of prison” price tag attached to it. This project highlights the dictatorial police state that was established in Hafez al-Assad’s Syria. It presents a story from the eighties to illustrate the role of the intelligence services and the secret police in public life in that era. As a seventeen-year-old young man was arrested and held in Palmyra Military Prison for 14 years without any trial because he knocked on the door of his aunt's house, which was occupied by intelligence agents due to security suspicions. His only charge was that he went to borrow a chemistry notebook from his cousin's house, on that day.

Abdulrhman Alkhatib, The Golden Knight, mixed media, 2022. A reworked copy of a horse racing championship first-place medal with a “21 years of prison” price tag attached to it. Highlighting the Assad family's dictatorial rule over the lives of Syrians. It shows the regime family members’ use of force and violence to achieve personal interests and desires at the expense of the people, through the story of the captain of the Syrian equestrian team who was arrested in Palmyra Military Prison for 21 years by Basil al-Assad, the eldest son of Hafez al-Assad and nicknamed the Syrian Golden Knight. The only charge against the imprisoned captain was winning first place in the equestrian race and beating the son of the head of the Syrian regime.

Abdulrhman Alkhatib, Story Collages, prints, 2022. These collages are inspired by the tragic stories in the thesis project and executed in a satirical and critical artistic way to reflect ironically the madness of the reality that these stories came from.

Abdul Rahman Hatib

Stories from Behind the Sun

Graphic Design

Stories from Behind the Sun is a design project that hopes to create awareness and empathy to commemorate the victims of the Syrian Tragedy. This project is dedicated to the voices from behind the sun. This research addresses the lack of historical awareness caused in part by the media blackout during the Syrian Tragedy and the following Syrian Revolution. This period included Crimes Against Humanity and innumerable violations of human rights.

By fusing graphic design with multi-sensory and auditory media, and investigating new ways of storytelling, Stories from Behind the Sun hopes to establish intimacy and human connection between the viewer and the victims through compassion and comprehension for Syria’s unheard heroes, bringing them from behind the sun and into the light.