Hakaya by Artists from Gaza: Artists from Gaza

“We’re excited to be showing off their work,” said Suha Lallas, Wadi Finan’s founder and director. “These are incredibly talented artists and Wadi Finan is proud to promote their work.”

Mohamed Harb has worked in fine arts since 1995, but is experienced in different mediums, including video art, for which he is recognised. Among his works is A Biography of Gaza, which documented a decade of its siege across a number of artworks. His philosophy, however, is to bring colour to Gaza’s “grey, ashy reality.”

Abdel Nasser Amer, a resident of Khan Yunis Camp, works with traditional Palestinian styles to depict life in Gaza, using surrealistic imagery to capture sentiment in a variety of tones. He has had exhibitions in both the Middle East and Europe. He says that he thinks of art as an actor on the stage; though he considers the movement and colour, what informs the art is emotion.

Sohail Salem professes his interest in expressionism—a way of externalising anxiety—though his subjects are ones he considers quotidian, depicting people and still life. He has also produced art installations and worked in sculpture, photography, puppeteering, and graphic design.

Maisara F. Baroud began by representing literature in art, exploring things’ contradictory nature. His work evolved to explore worldwide suffering in art, especially in Palestine, and is interested in humanitarian crises, such as war, arrest, and occupation.

Ayman Issa’s work has travelled the world. He mixes vibrant colour with curved, distorted human figures—mostly women, a celebration of the feminine form. His paintings are immediately recognisable to his fans.

“The stylistic range of the artists is exciting,” said Lallas. “Each has had a remarkable career, with many more works to come. We are always amazed by the quality of work Palestinian artists put out, and hope to see lovers of art visiting us at Wadi Finan to explore it for themselves.”

Wadi Finan Art Gallery was founded in 2008 in Amman, Jordan as a cultural vehicle, providing exhibitions, workshops, and collaborations on Arab art, locally and internationally, with a modern sensibility.