Syria’s answer to Banksy is Abu Malik al-Shami, 22-year-old rebel fighter. He paints on rubble in Darayya, a suburb outside Damascus hit hard by the civil war.

Al-Shami makes murals to cheer Syrians and conjure beauty from destruction. When the Free Syrian Army soldier began painting in 2014, he worried that Darayya’s citizens would resent his repurposing of destroyed homes, but quickly found a burgeoning fan club, instead.

“People started asking [about] these murals. They started giving ideas, tips and good locations. They gave critiques for the paintings to be more beautiful and complete,” he told Syria Direct. “People’s advice and comments gave me a lot of motivation to keep going.” Al-Shami has painted 30 murals in two years with guidance from locals and artists worldwide.