  |
|
|
|
Palestinian Artists©
With the recent disturbing troubles in Occupied Palestine there is a noticeable increase in people of all types, ages, and professions expressing their emotions concerning this situation and artists are certainly among them. Traditionally artists, inspired by what is around them, turn to their work as a means of self expression and with Palestinian artists this often results in some very powerful work. The unique situation of these artists living under occupation and siege, attempting to express themselves in a context that is not open to it, heightens the meaning of their work. In the case of Palestinian artists living abroad the longing for home and the sense of leaving something and someone important behind no doubt impacts their work. Additionally a number of artists who are not Palestinian have felt a deep connection to the people and land of Palestine and their concern is expressed in their work as well.
There are several well known artists who managed to create works of art while living under occupation. While these artists during times of conflict do not have the ability to display their works at galleries, the internet provides them with a safe means for sharing their work and a much larger audience. There are also many Palestinian artists abroad who although no longer live in Palestine, dedicate their work to it. Some of the artists displaying their work online are Mona Hatoum, Samia A. Halaby, and Ismail and Tamam Shammout. To view an online exhibit of other various Palestinian visual artists and to read their short biographies visit The Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center. The styles of Palestinian artists range from realism style paintings to abstract sculptural pieces. Concerned Artists What often starts with a simple, naive visit to a troubled region usually results in a life changing experience. This is how artists, affected by the conflict in Palestine, describe the reason behind the passion in their artwork. These artists range in background from Arabs and Muslims outside of Palestine to Europeans and Americans who, previous to their visit, have never had any connection to Palestine. The real life images they see during their visits are often so jarring that they cant help but immediately express those feelings through painting, drawing, sculpture or any other art form. You can read the story behind one such artist Heather Spears and her visit during the last intifada (Palestinian uprising and resistance) in A Personal Crusade: Children of the Intifada. Another similar story is that of comic artist Joe Sacco. Both stories refer to the last intifada but more recently Jordanian artists held an exhibitionwhere Al-Aqsa Intifada (what the new intifada is commonly referred to as) was the focus of the works. Many of the pieces depicted the harsh realities faced by women and children living under occupation. In an exhibition of a different sort by another Jordanian, artist Salam Can'an depicts the famous city of Jerusalem in hues of red. In contrast to depictions of the Palestinian struggle, Salam focused on painting traditional, almost dream-like, scenes from the Holy City. Go To Page: 1 2 |
|
|
|
