Novice reporter Aya speaks with Risam, a 22-year old artist from Mosul in his art studio, on the street, and in the markets about how he learned to draw from his father. He speaks of growing up in a city once known for its arts and unique aesthetics which has abandoned its value for art as the struggle to survive conflict and occupation takes precedence. Risam speaks of the violence of the ISIS occupation, their outlawing of the arts, and the brutally destructive campaign against ISIS by Coalition forces, which destroyed much of the city’s art that he once admired. Finally, Risam tells of his recent gallery expos in Turkey, his attempts to inform the outside world about Mosul’s suffering through his art, and he questions whether the Old Mosul—creative, beautiful, and cosmopolitan—can ever be recovered.
