Syrian Artist Tammam Azzam Criticizes ‘USA’ in Latest Work

On Tuesday, Syrian artist Tammam Azzam shared his newest digital work critiquing the ongoing Syrian conflict, which has plagued the country for more than two years now.

The black and white photograph shows a one dollar bill digitally layered over an actual picture of a bombed out and deteriorated building in Syria. The artwork is titled, “USA.”

Azzam tells Beirut.com the message behind the picture: “The international community – with the US in the lead – decided not to take part in the Syrian war, to prevent the revolution from winning. And I don’t mean the military intervention; there’s so much to do that hasn’t been done yet. And after 100 thousand martyrs in Syria, everybody keeps talking and delaying. hoping that time could empower the regime to conquer, and only then will the intervention become possible…”

In January, the artist’s work became a viral sensation on Facebook when he posted a piece in which he’d superimposed an image of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” over a photo of a destroyed building in the Syrian city of Douma.



It was part of a series featuring famous works by Van Gogh, Matisse, Dali and even Andy Warhol, set against destroyed locations in Syria. Azzam was born in Damascus in 1980. He now lives and works in Dubai.