Doaa: Work by Charlize

(SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

My painting is based off the story of Syrian refugee, Doaa. She was born and raised in Syria before the war drove her family, and many others, out after four years. The people of Egypt welcomed them at first, but soon became weary of them. Motorcycling gangs began attacking them in the streets, and they didn’t receiving a workers permit, so therefore struggled with low wages. Despite her hardships, she had hope because she was in love with another refugee, Bassem. While trying to escape the country on an old fishing boat, smugglers put a hole in their vessel. Doaa was holding onto a ring for five days when Bassem drowned. My painting captures this moment in time, representing refugees helpless at sea and the terrible loss they are faced with. By using cool tones of blue surrounding the figure in the foreground and background, a mysterious mood is created where everything is uncertain. The present and the future. Their chance at survival is left to luck and chance, and the dark, looming background reflects this sense of unknown. I have used the element of space to position the figure in the centre (focal point) with an expanse of water surrounding her to depict her losses (of the love of her life and family), but also to provoke fear in viewers. The scale of the massive ocean in relation to this one refugee clinging to a flotation device again, draws on a sense of ambiguity and questioning of “what could be below the water”, “can she swim?” and “how much fight does she have left?”. The contrast of the yellow flotation device to the rest of the painting draws viewers eyes to this point, making an emphasis on the only materials she has to fight for her life in the cruel oceans. Influences for the dark, foreboding shadows came as inspiration from film noir's mysterious stark lighting choices within dramatic scenes.