Art Exhibition Connects Gaza and West Bank Artists, Bridging Divides Through Creativity

Artists, accompanied by family and friends, gathered at the Bethlehem Peace Center for the opening of Anamel Falasteen. A live feed connected them to a simultaneous event at an artist’s studio in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip. This initiative, the first competition organized by Falasteen Collective, a cultural group founded in 2025 by Palestinian artists, filmmakers, and designers, featured a three-day twin exhibition. It showcased the work of young Palestinian artists whose creative output and opportunities for interaction are significantly limited by Israeli movement restrictions.

Osama Nazzal, one of the judges in Bethlehem, emphasized the inclusive nature of the competition, stating, “In the competition, we have Palestinian artists from Jerusalem, historic Palestine, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. I don’t like these divisions. I want to say all of Palestine.”

Painter and juror Ghanem Al Den, broadcasting from his studio at Gallery Paleta in Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp amidst the ongoing war, sent his regards: “Greetings and peace from soul to soul, from Gaza to our sister Palestinian cities across this beloved homeland. In this competition, many things that were lost came together. The most important thing is hope.”

Following the opening remarks, attendees in Bethlehem viewed a diverse collection of paintings, photographs, and drawings. Mohamed Abusrour, a founding member of Falasteen Collective, noted the artists’ commitment, saying, “Artists decided to come from Hebron, from Ramallah, from Jerusalem, from Jaffa, from Nablus, despite the risk. They have a voice, they want to contribute, and they want to show the world that we still exist.”

Due to the blockade and movement restrictions, original artworks from Gaza could not be transported. Organizers instead displayed high-quality reproductions of the Gaza submissions alongside original pieces from the West Bank. One visitor observed how the curation led her to mistake works exploring similar themes as being by the same artist, only to discover they were created by different individuals from Gaza and the West Bank. She shared, “I sat a bit longer with some paintings, and that brought tears to my eyes. The livestream with the presence of everyone’s paintings was a portal to bringing everyone’s essence together.”

The exhibited works documented various aspects of Palestinian life, from the profound loss experienced in Gaza to the cultural traditions and daily realities artists aim to preserve. Abusrour explained that the competition originated from discussions with artist friends who felt unable to participate or express themselves freely. The goal was to provide young Palestinians with a platform for showcasing their art both domestically and internationally, “without any restriction.”

The competition, open to artists aged 15 to 30, received approximately 170 applications, with nearly 60 percent originating from Gaza. A jury, divided between the West Bank and Gaza, selected 120 works across three themes: memory and place, land and return, and everyday heritage. The jury conducted daily video meetings, overcoming power and internet disruptions in Gaza.

“Despite the lack of resources, they decided to take part, and when they decided to take part, they decided to take part with strength,” Abusrour commented on the artists in Gaza. One such artist, 20-year-old university student Arwa Mukhaimer, presented “The Vine Bears Witness,” depicting her family’s home entrance. The painting serves as a memorial to her father, who died during the war due to lack of medical treatment, and the subsequent destruction of her home. Mukhaimer noted the difficulty in obtaining art supplies in Gaza, with some materials being entirely unavailable. The destruction of Gaza’s primary art spaces, including Eltiqa and Shababeek galleries, further compounds these challenges.

In contrast, Hanan Barghouthi, a 24-year-old visual artist from Ramallah, chose to depict joy in her painting of a Palestinian wedding, filled with vibrant colors and traditional motifs. “All the art has become about people expressing sadness, so I want to reflect happiness, because I like to be happy,” she stated.

The Anamel Falasteen exhibition highlighted the significant barriers to connection between Gaza and the West Bank, stemming from Israeli occupation policies. While artists in both territories face restrictions, the blockade on Gaza since June 2007 and the numerous movement obstacles in the West Bank documented by the UN OCHA in December 2025, create profound separation. Rehab Nazzal, an artist and educator on the competition’s advisory committee, described these restrictions as a deliberate aspect of the “settler colonial project” aimed at displacing Palestinians.

Abusrour believes that initiatives like this exhibition offer young Palestinians a vital reason to remain and continue their artistic endeavors. Barghouthi, watching the artists from Gaza on screen, expressed a mix of sadness and connection, remarking, “I felt we were close to them, but at the same time far away. But emotionally, I felt they were next to us, because our works are next to each other.”