Parenthou, Joséphine <br/><br/>
From an art of exile to art in exile? Reconfigurations of Syrian artistic creation in Paris, Berlin, and Beirut 

 -  2025.<br/>							 
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<br/><br/> After 2011, Syrian artists attained unprecedented international visibility, particularly in major host cities such as Paris, Berlin, and Beirut, elevating the figure of the “Syrian artist in exile.” This label, based on a romanticized (re)presentation of the committed artist, whose work is primarily focused on revolution, war, and exile, assumes that neither the artist nor their creations are impacted by the new conditions of art production or the sociocultural and identity reconfigurations brought about by displacement. This article explores this paradox and examines, through field research conducted with around thirty exiled Syrian visual artists, the tangible impact of exile on their creative process. It proposes conceptualizing this production as an art in exile, continuously (re)shaped, rather than an art of exile, confined to specific themes. Far from a monolithic vision of “non-Western” or “exiled” art, these works reflect a continuous adaptation to new creative conditions in host countries, significant disciplinary and conceptual hybridization, and a diversification of artistic themes. These themes reflect both the evolution of contemporary exiled Syrian art and the prevailing social representations within their host environments.