Artist Spotlight: Mariam Hussein
Exploring the realities of settlement, Mariam Hussein’s Lo Lo Lo Leesh (لو لو لو ليش ) (2024) highlights the balance between navigating complex citizenship paperwork and finding a sense of home through Syrian cinema.
Mariam Hussein is a mixed media and tattoo artist based in Lewisham. She was born in Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents, and moved to the UK in 2010 for her education. Shortly after, Syria went into conflict and Mariam began the long journey of seeking a new home and navigating the British citizenship process.
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At a very young age, I was about 14, I started to think about my future in a very serious way, that usually maybe children wouldn’t be thinking about.
Lo Lo Lo Leesh, 2024. Mixed media on canvas.
Visually inspired by a scene in the Syrian drama series Taj (2024), the rich colours, collage, textured mediums, energetic lines and swirls explore themes of feminism, intercultural dialogue, self-expression and connection (or barriers) to culture and heritage.
The title of this piece references the sound of the ‘Zalghouta’ (زلغوطة) — often collectively performed by women in times of celebration. The work is overlaid with copies of Mariam’s Syrian passport, Leave to Remain and citizenship applications:
I hope this piece can showcase the complexities of what my journey looks like, especially against the socio-political backdrop of Britain, and the rest of the world today.
Mariam Hussein with her artwork Lo Lo Lo Leesh, displayed in the community gallery space at the Migration Museum in Lewisham, London. Photography by Felix Ursell.
Through her work, Mariam invites us to go beyond simply hearing people’s migration stories to empathising and feeling them. She believes that art has the power to do that, and that there is space for every narrative to be heard.
My work and my story of migration come together, they can’t be separated. Migration has always existed, it’s a very natural human thing to be doing — to look for a better life or to be forced to leave. There’s so many different reasons people migrate and it’s part of our human history.
Now living with family across the globe, Mariam’s life exists in a constant state of flux. Her work explores the instability of building community in a new place, where shifting visa soul-searching and the evolving nature of friendship can often lead one to question where they truly belong.
Mariam’s work was featured as part of our first ever community curated exhibition — Inside/Outside And All In Between (2024-25).
Head over to mariamhusseinart.com to learn more about Mariam and explore more of her work.
Lo Lo Lo Leesh, 2024. Displayed at Migration Museum’s community-curated exhibition Inside/Outside and All In Between. Photographed by Sopo Ramischwili.
This feature is part of Muslim Heritage Month 2026.
We’re delighted to celebrate Muslim Heritage Month (MHM) 2026 in partnership with the Muslim Women’s Network UK. Through this spotlight, we share the journey of Mariam Hussein, whose creativity and stories offer a window into the rich tapestry of voices, experiences and perspectives that shape our communities. Find out more about MHM and their work at www.muslimheritagemonth.org.uk.
Exhibition: Inside/Outside — And All In Between
Inside/Outside And All In Between was the Migration Museum’s first community curated exhibition. It ran from September 2024 until March 2025, featuring local artists with a connection to Lewisham – either through living, working, studying, volunteering, or organising in the borough. Every artwork on display — a glimpse into a different story of migration. Our exhibition delved into the complex dynamics of migration and displacement, exploring the potential conflicts, parallels, blends and transformative journeys between the public and private spheres, between the external and internal dimensions of ‘home’, between outward expression and inner states of being, between memory and imagined self and futures, between struggling with or embracing a new culture and identity.
Learn more about our community-curated exhibition here.
And meet our first cohort of community-curators here.
The Migration Museum’s Artist Spotlight series features interviews with artists that we have collaborated with over the years. The series highlights both established artists involved in our major exhibitions and emerging voices who have contributed to our community-curated exhibition.
Explore other artists in the series below