Biography

Born in Damascus in 1952, Issam Darwish graduated from the Adham Ismail Center for Plastic Arts in 1970 and the Faculty of Fine Arts' Department of Oil Painting in 1979. After completing postgraduate studies in Fine Arts (1986–1987), he began participating in domestic and international exhibitions from 1977 onward.

Since 1975, Darwish has worked in Syrian journalism as a writer, fine arts director, and journalistic motif artist, while also writing short stories and articles on art. His recent solo exhibitions include a "Retrospective-like Exhibition" (2020) and a "Dual Exhibition" with artist Rania Maasarani (2021), both at Ishtar Fine Arts Gallery in Damascus.

His work has been featured at the Arts Center in Bahrain (2000) and in numerous group exhibitions, including "Pebbles" with artist Mouhamed Wahibi at Ishtar Fine Arts Gallery (2009), the Venice Biennale (2009), and the Kuwait International Biennial (2008). His works are held in prestigious collections including the Syrian Ministry of Culture, the Syrian National Museum and Dummar Museum of Arts in Damascus, as well as various private collections in Syria and abroad.