2026–27Ongoing
Supporting an Artist ResidencyHala Nahar
SAFIR is supporting Hala Nahar's residency at HKP14 in Damascus, backing an artist's practice at home in Syria.
- Artist
- Hala Nahar
- Host
- HKP14
- Location
- Damascus, Syria
- Dates
- 2026–2027
01/ 04Program
Artist Residencies
Our approach
Fostering meaningful exchange.
SAFIR supports the artistic development of Syrian artists by connecting them with residency opportunities through its international network. Rather than running a fixed residency programme, we work case by case, helping each artist identify and access the opportunity that suits their practice and aspirations.
When financial constraints stand in the way, SAFIR also looks for ways to support the artist's participation. Each residency gives artists time and space to make new work and to meet artists and curators beyond their home environment.
- Residencies
- 4
- Cities
- 5
- Countries
- 5
Residencies
Artists SAFIR has helped place in residency, from Damascus to São Paulo.
2026
Supporting an Artist ResidencyStephanie Sanossian
SAFIR supported Stephanie Sanossian's residency with Vertygo in Italy.
- Artist
- Stephanie Sanossian
- Host
- Vertygo
- Location
- Italy
- Year
- 2026
2023
Supporting an Artist ResidencyJuhayda Bitar
A 45-day residency on the Brazilian coast, where the ocean and the light of São Sebastião opened a new chapter in Juhayda Bitar's abstract painting.
Juhayda Bitar, a painter with a Master's in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus, spent December 2023 at Kaaysá Art Residency in São Sebastião, São Paulo, a former guesthouse between the forest and the sea.
The coastline and its sunsets pushed her towards a new palette of oranges, golds and forest greens, while the music and people she met loosened her brushwork. Working in acrylic and watercolour, she used abstraction to hold nostalgia, hope and her bond with nature. Her stay also included visits to the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) and Teatro Oficina.
The opportunity came through SAFIR Ambassador Lina Attar Ajami and Brazilian ambassador Claudia Barenco Abba, with the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce supporting the application.
- Artist
- Juhayda Bitar
- Residency
- Kaaysá Art Residency
- Location
- São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil
- Dates
- December 2023 · 45 days
- Support
- Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce; scholarship from a project led by Luiza Helena Trajano
- Facilitated by
- SAFIR Ambassador Lina Attar Ajami
2023
Supporting an Artist ResidencyNoor Bahjat Al Masri
A summer working alongside artist Marina Fedorova between Munich and Paris, opening doors to European galleries, artists and collaborators.
SAFIR connected Dubai-based Syrian artist Noor Bahjat Al Masri with artist Marina Fedorova, who invited her to spend the summer of 2023 working between Munich and Paris. Sputnik Partners supported the residency, covering her stay and introducing her to Parisian art platforms, artists and galleries.
Together with Fedorova, Noor created a series of illustrated greeting cards for the German stationery brand Prantl, drawn from her Love Series, and produced a new body of works on paper. She received guidance on composition, visited major museums in Munich and Vienna, and met Syrian artist Tammam Azzam in Berlin.
She returned planning to share what she had learned with the art community in Syria.
- Artist
- Noor Bahjat Al Masri
- Hosted by
- Artist Marina Fedorova
- Location
- Munich, Germany and Paris, France
- Dates
- Summer 2023
- Supported by
- Sputnik Partners
- Collaboration
- Illustrated cards for Prantl