About the artist

Mariam Hussein is a London-based, Syrian, mixed media artist who explores various themes including social and beauty norms, identity, home, social justice, and how these narratives intersect. Her inspiration comes from daily life and the tensions and harmonies within that. As part of the Syrian diaspora, she often depicts her memories and fantasies of life in Syria/SWANA region in her work.

Mariam practices and teaches art as a form of resistance to the fast-paced demands of capitalist society, and its pressures of continuous self optimisation and perfectionism. She encourages rule-breaking and experimentation by exploring various themes, and using a spectrum of materials according to intuition (from spray paints, pens, collage, oil pastels, to acrylic and oil paints).

Mariam says: "Art is therapy to me and has been my form of escapism and play for over a decade. Making art from day 1 has been a way of survival. Through art, I don't need to worry about maintaining a certain character. I can just be myself and connect with others."