Soulaf Abas, May - June 2026

Soulaf was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. In 2008 she received her Bachelors of Fine Arts from Indiana State University. Then, she returned to Syria and taught art at the Arab European University. She also spent some time translating books and articles in Arabic and English.

In 2010, Soulaf returned to Indiana State University to get her masters in Fine Arts. After she received her MFA in painting in 2013, she taught part time at Indiana State University.

Soulaf went back to visit her family in Damascus-Syria in the summer of 2012, a year after the revolution began. Upon her return from Syria, she started creating images in painting and printmaking that depicted what she’d experienced. She continues to explore the effects of loss and trauma in her oil painting and printmaking works.

Her work was exhibited nationally and internationally. She also received multiple residencies and awards for her work like the Social Justice Residency in Santa Fe, NM, and multiple ELCE Grants from Indiana State University.

Soulaf lives and works in Terre Haute, Indiana with her partner, dogs, cat, and many plants.

Visit Soulaf'’s website here.