Syrian painter Hala Faisal talks about her life and some of the works which decorate her home and studio in Damascus. She is quite a well known figure on the Syrian art scene, but says she has trouble putting her work on show, especially her renditions of the female nude.

Just before recording this audio slideshow interview, Hala announced that she was feeling pressured to leave the country and would travel to Germany within the next few days. She was distraught at the possibility that the surfaces of her home would get painted over.

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Read Martin Asser's report on artistic and intellectual life in a state where freedom of expression is tightly controlled: