'Unsettled Nostalgia' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'We have won' by Mohamad Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Have you forsaken us' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Collateral damage' by Mohamad Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
Mohamed Hafez’s New Haven studio is lined with stainless steel shelves housing buckets full of bits of junk, which he describes as his “ingredients of the day”. Credit: Cole Wilson
'We have won!' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
Unpacked Refugee Baggage' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
“I’ve been making these models for 15 years now, but for the first 10 years, my practice was completely confidential and for me only,” he says. “It’s not until relatively recently that people have said to me that I need to exhibit these works," says Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Unpacked Refugee Baggage' by Mohamad Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
Making these miniature models – many of which are based on images Hafez has seen in newspapers and magazines – is no longer the cathartic experience it once was for Hafez, however. “If you are trying to remodel the ruins of Aleppo, I feel devastated after completing the work,” he says, “particularly when I incorporate the sound effects. You’re hearing children playing in the street and the call to prayer and church bells ringing. Anyone who has been to that region will recognise these noises as representations of a peace that no longer exists.” Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Unsettled Nostalgia' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'We have won' by Mohamad Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Have you forsaken us' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Collateral damage' by Mohamad Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
Mohamed Hafez’s New Haven studio is lined with stainless steel shelves housing buckets full of bits of junk, which he describes as his “ingredients of the day”. Credit: Cole Wilson
'We have won!' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
Unpacked Refugee Baggage' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
“I’ve been making these models for 15 years now, but for the first 10 years, my practice was completely confidential and for me only,” he says. “It’s not until relatively recently that people have said to me that I need to exhibit these works," says Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Unpacked Refugee Baggage' by Mohamad Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
Making these miniature models – many of which are based on images Hafez has seen in newspapers and magazines – is no longer the cathartic experience it once was for Hafez, however. “If you are trying to remodel the ruins of Aleppo, I feel devastated after completing the work,” he says, “particularly when I incorporate the sound effects. You’re hearing children playing in the street and the call to prayer and church bells ringing. Anyone who has been to that region will recognise these noises as representations of a peace that no longer exists.” Credit: Rodney Nelson
'Unsettled Nostalgia' by Mohamed Hafez. Credit: Rodney Nelson
These devastating miniature artworks depict 'dark and grim picture' of Syria today
'If I can't go home, I'll recreate home.' Syrian architect Mohamad Hafez explores his country's painful story of destruction and displacement in miniature