Hi! I’m Sara Khayat, a visual artist, illustrator, and graphic designer from Syria. I was born in Damascus and studied Graphic Design. Today, I live in Sweden, after receiving an artistic residency through the ICORN program 2022, which supports artists at risk.
I carry my inner world with me wherever I go. Through art and design, I explore themes that matter to me deeply: women’s rights, refugee stories, queer identity, and breaking gender stereotypes. My work is a way to ask questions, spark conversations, and connect with myself and others.
My journey started with the Syrian revolution in 2011, where I was part of the peaceful protests and grassroots activism. Later, I got involved in humanitarian and documentation work, especially focusing on women’s stories and lived experiences. Since then, art has become my form of resistance, storytelling, and remembering.
Leaving Syria didn’t mean leaving everything behind. I carry those memories with me, and I feel deeply connected to other struggles around the world — from Iran to Sudan to Palestine. For me, solidarity isn’t just a slogan — it’s a feeling of responsibility, connection, and shared hope.
My artistic style wasn’t clear from the start — I used to draw just to feel, to process, to breathe. Over time, I developed my own visual language, influenced by childhood stories, political art, street culture, and personal memories.
Lately, my work has shifted from digital illustration to installation art, using real materials and working with my hands. In my project Family of Trees, for example, we created a large fabric dress to wrap around a tree — symbolizing migration, identity, and memory.
What I create today is a mix of everything I’ve been through. I don’t draw to make the “perfect” image — I draw to be honest.
My art keeps evolving with me, step by step.
Sara Khayat Art 