Everyone chooses his own swing
We all swing like children
Yet someone else is pulling the strings
The greatest push is yet to come,
Politics, Economy, Religion, Love,
War versus peace
Love versus hate
We are here and there, we are alive
We are Humans.

-Buthayna Ali

Buthayna Ali was born in Damascus, Syria in 1974. After studying fine arts in Damascus, she moved to Paris to continue her formal education. She studied painting at the Superior National School of Fine Arts of Paris (ENSB-A) and holds an M.A. degree in the History of Islamic Art from the Paris IV Sorbonne University. Buthayna Ali currently teaches painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus. Besides her academic commitments, Ali practices her own art. In all of her installation pieces, she focuses on the contradictions present within her milieu; through these works, one can strongly sense her desire to get closer to society. Buthayna Ali’s recent collective exhibitions include "Marionette" (Paris, 2007), Europ’Art (Geneva, 2006), and one at the Brunei Gallery (London, 2004). She has had several solo shows as well, among which were "We," Alriwaq Gallery (Damascus, 2006), "Promises," Atassi Gallery (Damascus, 2003) and "Tent," National Museum (Damascus, 2002).

The installation was exhibited recently at the 10th International Istanbul Biennial, 2007