Omar Khalaf was born in 1993 in the small town of Al Qamishli, located in northern Syria. Growing up in a simple family, he developed a strong interest in art at a young age, honing his drawing and painting skills. In 2010, he enrolled in Damascus University to study physics, but was forced to leave his studies and flee the country due to the outbreak of war in Syria in 2012.
In 2015, Omar arrived in Vienna as a refugee, seeking asylum in Austria. Despite facing numerous challenges, including language barriers and cultural differences, he was able to reconnect with his passion for art. In 2018, he secured his first job as a theatrical painter, working with a decoration company that designs and creates stages for prominent theaters such as the Staatsoper, the Volksoper, and the Burgtheater. Through this experience, Omar became particularly interested in large-scale paintings and the ways in which light and shadow interact within them.
Omar’s artistic project is rooted in his experiences working in the theater, and is characterized by a unique blend of styles and techniques. He draws inspiration from the aesthetic views he has encountered in his work, and uses his emotional intuition to create thought-provoking and evocative paintings that capture the imagery in his mind. His paintings are a mixture of his emotions and his experiences, which are then expressed through his art.