„Fashal Magazine“ is a comic magazine created and published by the artists Hala Ismail and Ziad Znklo.  The magazine reports on current events in and around the conflict in Syria. In “Fashal” the creative couple depicts a multifaceted Syrian society confronted with the tragedy of civil war in a country that has become the battleground of a global power struggle. They describe a society that has to deal with a new set of values, aspirations and perspectives.
The word “fashal” can be translated as “to fail”. Written in the form of a hand holding a key the publishers consciously reflect on failure as an integral part to the process of change.
The episodes are short and to the point. They deal with Syrians in exile and situations that arise out of living in a foreign host country. For example an episode tells the story of a woman being rejected by her husband on the basis that her honor has been tarnished after mistakenly being jailed. Another describes how profiteers of war make a living by demanding road tolls from the defenseless.
The exhibit shows a selection of pieces from seven editions of “Fashal”. It is complemented with an interview of both artists, which sheds light on their understanding of themselves as artists and their work in this difficult political context.
The magazine consists of 28 A5 pages and is free of charge to customers. The artists published the first edition of “Fashal” in June 2014 while in exile in Turkey. Since then seven editions have been released. The Turkish edition is bilingual, written in Turkish and Arabic. Since September of last year Hala and Ziad live in Germany and they are currently working on publishing “Fashal” here.

Both Hala Ismail and Ziad Znklo are convinced that the spirit of revolution in Syria is alive and well, despite the current violent political struggle.