Hala Ali, MEd.
Artist Educator, Poet & Trauma Counselor
Who am I?
I will be what I will become
I will be the messenger of the unknown
I will be the title and the tenor
I will inform
the oppressor and the oppressed
the murderer and the murdered
the ruler and the ruled
I will be a free gazelle with passion wings
I will jump away from the border and
cross all the oceans
Until there are no more boundaries
To discover who am I...
H Ali, 2018
Hala Ali
She opened her eyes in a house full of colors, grew up with a paintbrush in her hand. Thankful for Sulaiman Ali, the father who taught her how to tell stories through colors and lines. She started her practice with realism, then developed it into abstract and expressionism.
In 2015, she obtained her interior design degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus university. She knew that visual art has more power than just creating art. In 2017, she was delighted to do her master's degree in Art-Education. This unique study program IMAE gave her the opportunity to become an agent of change and an artist-educator who can transfer the use of art to others. During her master's, she discovered that visual art has a transformative impact on survivors that are traumatized from war or conflicts.
She continues her professional journey as a Trauma Counselor (i.o) and Trauma informed trainer at Trauma Company.
In 2015, she obtained her interior design degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus university. She knew that visual art has more power than just creating art. In 2017, she was delighted to do her master's degree in Art-Education. This unique study program IMAE gave her the opportunity to become an agent of change and an artist-educator who can transfer the use of art to others. During her master's, she discovered that visual art has a transformative impact on survivors that are traumatized from war or conflicts.
She continues her professional journey as a Trauma Counselor (i.o) and Trauma informed trainer at Trauma Company.
Art is the story of the soul
The Light Keepers
is a meditation on human endurance, a tribute to those who carry hope through hardship. The paintings speak of survival, sacrifice, and resilience, revealing the quiet strength found even in the darkest moments. Through shadow and light, each work honors the souls who continue to rise, endure, and protect the fragile flame of humanity.
View Collection Where is home?
These paintings emerge from an artistic exploration of identity, displacement, and belonging. They reflect the experience of existing between cultures and countries while carrying the invisible weight of personal and collective history. Through memory, symbolism, and emotion, the works search for a place where identity can exist beyond borders.
Created in 2017 — IMAE-ArtEZ, Arnhem.
View Collection Created in 2017 — IMAE-ArtEZ, Arnhem.
Behind his Smile
Art-making as a healing process.
This series of paintings is a journey into the hidden depths of the human mind, searching for answers to the question: What lies behind a killer’s smile? Through layered emotion and symbolism, the works explore pain, trauma, silence, and the fragile boundary between humanity and darkness.
Created in 2016 — Hengelo.
View Collection This series of paintings is a journey into the hidden depths of the human mind, searching for answers to the question: What lies behind a killer’s smile? Through layered emotion and symbolism, the works explore pain, trauma, silence, and the fragile boundary between humanity and darkness.
Created in 2016 — Hengelo.
Articles and Interviews
"Kunst heeft mijn leven gered", vertelt Hala. "Wanneer de oorlog heel heftig en moeilijk was, kon ik vluchten in mijn kunst. Ik wist op deze manier een veilige plek voor mezelf te creëren in een onveilige omgeving."
Hala was pas 23 jaar oud toen ze moest vluchten uit Syrië. In kunst en muziek vond ze een veilige bubbel, een plek waar ze haar emoties kwijt kan en zichzelf kon terugvinden. 🎨🎶
Hala Ali (l) en Anisa Boonman (r).
Trauma's bespreekbaar maken is geen makkelijke klus. Dat weet Anisa Boonman als geen ander. De Utrechtse organiseert morgenavond daarom een bijeenkomst over trauma en de verwerking ervan. "Ik wil de impact van trauma verzachten."
Trauma's bespreekbaar maken is geen makkelijke klus. Dat weet Anisa Boonman als geen ander. De Utrechtse organiseert morgenavond daarom een bijeenkomst over trauma en de verwerking ervan. "Ik wil de impact van trauma verzachten."
"Ik geloof weer in mezelf" Hala Ali weet wat opnieuw beginnen betekent. Zij vluchtte negen jaar geleden uit Syrie en bouwde in Hengelo een nieuw bestaan op.
Daar stond ze afgelopen week: COA-medewerkers uit datzelfde AZC Hoogeveen te trainen in trauma-sensitieve ondersteuning!
Exhibition organised by Tymo Grijpma. Story telling by Saraab Alfar and Poetry presented by Hala Ali.
Projects
26 jun 2025
26 jun 2025
Stories in Motion / Co-Creator
workshop: embodied journey through dislocation, resilience, and connection.
Hoogschool van Amsterdam
Hoogschool van Amsterdam
Jan- Mar 2024/ Jan- Mar 2023
Jan- Mar 2024/ Jan- Mar 2023
Responsible Leadership / Co-Creator
SeAre ArtEZ & Windesheim, Zwolle
22 Aug 2023
22 Aug 2023
Trauma, Art & Body Awareness: trauma prevention through arts and mindfulness/ Co-Creator
Summer School “Playing with the (He)ARTS”, a collaboration between ArtEZ and Saffier
Mar- Apr 2023
Mar- Apr 2023
Coloring the Pain / ArtistEducator
VWN, ISK Haarlem, Hoofddorp
28 OCT 2022
28 OCT 2022
Designing Cities for All / Participant
Dutch Design Week, TU/E Campus, Eindhoven
May 2018- June 2022
May 2018- June 2022
Doing Things with Stories / Co-Creator
ArtEZ, Oxfam and Radboud Uni, Nijmegen
30 Oct 2018
30 Oct 2018
Liberal Arts Event
Windesheim University, Zwolle
July 2018
July 2018
The space-in-between
Minerva Art Academy, Groningen
16 Apr 2018
16 Apr 2018
Topical Discourse
Minerva Art Academy, Groningen
May 2018
May 2018
Paper Land magazine
AZC Burgum
March 2018
March 2018
One line-story
The Playhouse, Derry/London Derry, UK (north Ireland)
One-line story
History is a line of our experiences.
Our stories will make the line endless. It is up to us,
how we continue drowning the
future.
Exhibitions
Open Ateliers Hengelo
27-28 sep 2025
Hengelo, Nederlands
Hengelo, Nederlands
Graduation exhibition
Jul 2018
IMAE, ArtEZ, Arnhem, Netherlands
IMAE, ArtEZ, Arnhem, Netherlands
Group exhibition
Mar 2018
Playhouse, Derry/Londonderry, UK
(North Ireland)
Group exhibition
May 2016
Koetshuis, Borne, Netherlands
Noaberhood in the Kulturhus
Jan 2016
Kulturhus De Bijenkorf, Borne, Netherlands
Graduation exhibition
Feb 2015
Fine Arts University, Damascus, Syria
Group exhibition
Jun 2014
Fine Arts University, Damascus, Syria
Feel free to contact me
Hala Ali
Artist-Educator, Poet & Trauma Counselor
© 2026 H Ali. All rights reserved