Sara Shamma, born in Damascus 1975, to a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother, an engineer and a sociologist. She has two younger brothers, Khaled and Rakan.

Her family filled her with determination and granted her choice. They saturated her with love, music, and colors to sculpt it all into one of the most audacious, inspiring, and distinguished artists of Syria.

She grew up in Damascus, and is currently working there. She was educated at Adham Ismaiil Art Institute, and later graduated specializing in painting, at the Faculty of Fine arts, Damascus University. Sara ranked first among university graduates.

An independent artist, Sara Shamma is a figurative painter. Her paintings depict the soul of the human being in its various forms, expressions, and moods. Looking at any of her paintings, you will see people swaying their hands, flipping their heads back, looking into you with a reflection of a glittering light in their eyes, or gazing peacefully enchanted with the music that you hear playing somewhere in the background.

This focus on such a vivid, intense, yet simple theme made it easy for the international art community to connect with Sara’s paintings through the multiple exhibitions spreading over countries in the Arab World, Europe, North America, and Australia. She won many prizes, among which are the First Prize in Painting at Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize in Australia 2008, the Fourth Prize at The BP Portrait Award 2004 at The National Portrait Gallery in the UK, and the First Prize in Painting (The Golden Medal) in Latakia Biennial, Syria 2001.

At the local level, Sara has always been keen on contributing to and keeping open communication channels with the Syrian public through teaching, holding periodical solo exhibitions in Syria, and arbitrating in art contests such as the Annual Exhibition held by the Ministry of Culture in Syria. She also represented her country abroad in several occasions such as the International Women Arts International Vision in Sharjah, and the Mediterranean Biennial in Tunisia.