About Issa Touma (born Safita, Syria, lives and works in Aleppo
Issa Touma is a prominent figure in the Syrian art scene. Self-taught, he began
his career as a photographer in the early 1990s. Finding himself isolated from
the international art world and photography scene, he established Black and
White, a gallery dedicated to photography, in Aleppo in 1992. After its closure, in
1996 he founded Le Pont Organisation and Gallery, an independent art
organisation to promote freedom of expression and stimulate the local art
scene through international events.
In 1996 Touma was art director of the first European-Arab jazz festival in
Aleppo, and in 1997 Le Pont hosted the first International Photography
Gathering, Aleppo, one of the first international contemporary photography
events in the Middle East. Le Pont has also organised the International
Women’s Art Festival in Aleppo since 1999.
Le Pont Gallery shows exhibitions of photography from Syrian and international
artists and functions as an open cultural space, running photography classes
and workshops. In Spring 2012, it initiated the Art Camping workshops, which
attempt to counter the violence of the insurgency with artistic interventions
around Aleppo.
Touma’s own photographs reflect social and political life in Syria, with a focus
on the city of Aleppo. His project Sufi: the Day of al-Ziyara (1995-2005) has been
shown in many exhibitions and festivals internationally, including: Nazar ,
Noorderlicht Photography Festival, Groningen, The Netherlands (2004); and
ECTASY Pilgrimages in Christianity and Islam, Museumpark Orientalis, Heilig
Landstichting, The Netherlands (2008). Dancing for the Big Father an ongoing
series about the omnipresence of photographs of the Syrian President was
shown as part of Exile, Art Center, Silkebord Bad, Denmark (2009) and 2nd
International Antakya Bienali, Turkey (2010). In 2006 Touma served as artistic
consultant for the exhibition Images of Syria, at Moestings Hus, Copenhagen,
which included photographs from his series Aleppo from Above 2006 , and More …
Power! Photos! Freedom!
Marco Bohr » Florian Göttke » Nermine Hammam » Nicolas Righetti » Hrair Sarkissian » Issa Touma » Joachim Ben Yakoub » Mosireen » Uprising of Women in the Arab World »
While photography is a medium that can play games of hide and seek and manipulation, it also mobilises people. It is used to tell a story that can only be told in images, inside and outside of the political arena. Power! Photos! Freedom! goes in search of the power of the image in a rapidly changing Arab world. Photography has the power to make or break regimes. Whilst the ubiquitous image of the dictator may create a personality cult around leaders in authoritarian regimes, photography can also serve as a primary catalyst for revolutions and upris...