Art knows no barriers: Blind Syrian artist makes her dreams come true in Turkey

Having low vision since childhood would seem to be a barrier for a visual artist. However, it didn’t dampen this Syrian artist's passion to paint.

Syrian Shireen Khalil, a visually-impaired painter and mother of four, settled in the eastern province of Turkey's Diyarbakır after leaving her hometown in Syria about 10 years ago.

The 40-year-old artist is completely blind in her right eye, and can barely see with her left.

After working as a teacher to make a living, she signed up for a leather-craft course at the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) and had the opportunity to continue her art journey by painting on leather, rocks, ceramics, walls, pottery and fabrics.

"This talent runs in my family and most of them love painting. Most of the members of our family are painters, poets or calligraphers," she said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan granted Khalil's husband citizenship during his official visit to Diyarbakır in 2016.