Abo Malek, a Painter in the town of Darya, Rural Damascus, besieged by the regime forces and under rocking and bombing, transforms the ugliness of death and destruction into paintings of hope and optimism revolution and a better tomorrow, and wants the world to hear the voice of the people of the city and see their pain.

“It is message from the heart of the siege, a message to all people in the world from east to west, so that would hear our voice and know about our lives and see our pain, and so that everyone knows that our revolution is ongoing and we believe in the power of thought, culture and art also believe in the force of arms.”

Those words of Abu Malik, a young Syrian who filled the walls of his besieged and destroyed city Darya, with his drawings, and his goal sow hope and optimism and re-spirit of the revolution of the people who remained after constant siege for more than two years.

In the city, located in the western Damascus, which has become a symbol of steadfastness in the face of explosive barrels and indiscriminate shelling daily by Syrian regime forces. Not the devastating walls and ruins of houses and shops only scene, but often it overwhelms graphics colors on the blackness of death. Graphics depicting children carrying flowers and soldiers defending their homeland and their city.

Abo Malek, 21 years old, said he couldn’t continue his study because he took part in the Syrian Revolution, and the sieging of his city, Darya. The fear by him and other friends of forgetting what they have been learning before the revolution made them create a scientific and cultural atmosphere to study, where they attend courses in English Language, design filming and montage, which also encouraged him to practice his favorite hobby.

The work was not easy, says Abu Malik, random bombing and throwing explosive barrels made it risky, and the scarcity of materials and colors and sometimes non-availability due to the blockade was also an obstacle.

He pointed to his fear in the beginning of the reaction of the citizens towards his work, which feared to be troublesome for them, and pushes them to sense the attack on their property destroyed by the Syrian regime.

Out of the most beautiful comments he had heard, “finally someone came transfer the ugliness of death and destruction to paintings of hope in beautiful colors.”