On Location Gallery 2

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When words fail, art speaks

15th May 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, when 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in the historic land of Palestine. Under international law, these Palestinians have the right to return to their homes, but 75 years later, they are still waiting.

The Gaza Strip is home to over 2 million people trapped in a small area of just 365 km2. Over 1.4 million of them are descendants of refugees from 1948. To mark this anniversary, we have added eight new remarkable Gazan artists to our On Location gallery.

Each artist has overcome so many hurdles to create these works of incredible beauty and insight. As you study their work and read their biographies, we hope that you will share our excitement at being able to show this work.

Many of these pieces challenge our expectations and remind us of the creativity flourishing in Gaza today. They also allow us to glimpse why, 75 years after the Nakba, promoting Palestinian culture is vital in maintaining Palestinian identity and demanding Palestinian rights.

We hope you will join us in celebrating the creativity and resilience of the Palestinian people.

Chris Rose
Director, Amos Trust

Artists: Alphabetically by surname

Zainab al-Qolaq

@zainab_shokry

At precisely 1am on 16th May 2021, Israeli jets bombarded a densely populated residential area in the centre of Gaza City. Zainab was trapped under the rubble of her apartment block for 12 hours. She lost 22 members of her family in the attack.

Zainab Al-Qolaq

Artists Studio, Gaza City, May 2022

Zainab al-Qolaq

Scattered Rubble

Zainab Al-Qolaq

The Night Haunts Us

Zainab Al-Qolaq

Ambulance

Zainab al-Qolaq

Shroud

Zainab Al-Qolaq

Absent Souls

Zainab Al-Qolaq

Family

Mahmoud Alhaj

@mahmoud.alhaj

Mahmoud uses medicinal blister packs to construct intelligent, sophisticated and meticulous architectural cityscapes. The symbolism of the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and its affect on mental health is profound.

Mahmoud Alhaj

Artists Studio, Paris 2023

Mahmoud Alhaj

Fragile 1

Mahmoud Alhaj

Fragile 2

Mahmoud Alhaj

Fragile 3

Mahmoud Alhaj

Fragile 4

Mahmoud Alhaj

Barrier Architecture 1

Mahmoud Alhaj

Barrier Architecture 2

Mohammed Alhaj

@mohammed.alhaj.000

“Mohammed’s characters feel anonymous. The figures appear of varying origins — endless and with infinite colour. They are shadow characters with no rights in soil, sea, or sky. The displaced and alienated move through hazy colour spaces as if from a dream.” Shada Al Safadi

Mohammed Alhaj

Artists Studio, Gaza City 30 April 2023

Mohammed Alhaj

Displacement 1

Mohammed Alhaj

Displacement 2

Mohammed Alhaj

Displacement 3

Mohammed Alhaj

Flag

Mohammed Alhaj

Bombing

Mohammed Alhaj

Separation

Maha Daya

@mahart_76

There is no beauty or life in these haunting artworks. The buildings have not collapsed. They are defiant and resilient and refuse to fall. They are monuments to injustice and devastation.

Maha Daya

Artists Studio, Gaza City 30 April 2023

Maha Daya

Devastation 1

Maha Daya

Devastation 2

Maha Daya

Devastation 3

Maha Daya

Devastation 4

Maha Daya

Devastation 5

Maha Daya

Devastation 6

May Murad

@may_murad_artworks

“My current work is an echo of my exiled self. The employment of digital windows and messages is emblematic of my artistic method. My screen connects me to the world but detaches me from it.”

May Murad

Paris, 2022

May Murad

Virtual Reality 2

May Murad

Enter Password

May Murad

We Are Not Leaving!

May Murad

Undetermined

May Murad

This Is What Remains Of The Memories!

May Murad

You Are Invisible!

May Murad

Come! Don’t Fear The Darkness

May Murad

Annecy 6

Duaa Qishta

@duaa.qishta.artlife

Duaa is a young artist exploring profound and powerful themes in her innovative and imaginative artworks. In her powerful Al-Awda Ice Cream series, Duaa created work relating to an incident in Gaza in 2014 when a government hospital was bombed.

Duaa Qishta

Paris, 2023

Duaa Qishta

Al-Awda Ice Cream 1

Duaa Qishta

Al-Awda Ice Cream 2

Duaa Qishta

Portes du Triomphe

Duaa Qishta

Untitled

Duaa Qishta

Missed Call

Duaa Qishta

Mad World

Mariam Salah

@mariamsalah8311

Mariam bravely and fiercely creates artworks exploring the practice of Palestinian political prisoners smuggling sperm out of Israeli jails so that their wives can become pregnant.

Mariam Salah

Shababek Gallery, Gaza City, 30 April 2023

Mariam Salah

Sperm Inside Lighter

Mariam Salah

Sperm Chips

Mariam Salah

Smuggled Sperm Inside A Crisp Packet

Mariam Salah

Smuggled Sperm Inside A Matchbox

Mariam Salah

Means Of Smuggling (Video Still)

Mariam Salah

Lighter Sperm

Mariam Salah

Untitled

Mariam Salah

Lighter Flame

Majed Shala

@majedshala

These graceful, moving and poetic drawings show tenderness and fragility in the midst of war. Ghostly figures locked in a tender embrace, defiantly looking at the sky in resilience and dignity.

Majed Shala

Artists Studio, Gaza City, 30 April 2023

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 1

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 2

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 3

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 4

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 5

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 6

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 7

Majed Shala

The City And My Love 8

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Ahlan Gaza (Welcome Gaza) follows the simple stories of people living in Gaza, people trying to live with dignity as their options close in on them each year.