During the Arab Spring of 2011 and 2012, Bashar al-Assad's tyrannical reign over the Syrian people came to a head. Through media coverage, albeit restricted, it was made clear to the world that the country had been oppressed by a dictator under the guise of reformation.

Looking back now at Tim Smyth's pictures, taken one year after the 2007 re-election, one cannot help but see beyond the seemingly casual street scenes. Taking a closer look, one finds a visual connotation of a looming presence in the everyday lives of ordinary people: in each frame a depiction of the leader's face is materialised in posters, billboards, pendants and wire frame structures, as if watching over the whole city, keeping it in check.

This newsprint publication is another demonstration of Smyth's ability to balance visual entertainment with underlying political and conceptual integrity. It is introduced with an essay by the writer and curator Malu Halasa, who recalls a capital that was at the time being feted as a cultural centre, and speeches about freedom and creativity that ring horribly false now.