With watercolour on canvas, Malak Mattar brings her homeland to life
21-year-old Palestinian artist Malak Mattar poses with two of her paintings depicting the lives of Palestinian women. (Courtesy of Malak Mattar)
“Palestine is the place I was inspired by the first art piece I saw, the place I started painting in and where I grew up with a family who supported me in my journey,” the 21-year-old artist writes.
Known for her sweeping watercolours and depictions of Palestinian life, artist Malak Mattar is fast becoming a household name. But when Malak started painting at 14 years old — a practice she turned to while sheltering from Israeli airstrikes during the 2014 Gaza War — she was hesitant to sell her art. “I felt too attached to my artworks,” the artist shares. “They were not only a part of me, but they were me.”
Malak has come a long way since then. Her paintings have been featured in publications like GQ Middle East and TRT World, and she recently published her first children’s book in English and Arabic. Now 21, Malak understands her notoriety as an opportunity to turn attention towards the country she loves and the issues — and injustices — her community faces. “Palestine is the place I was inspired by the first art piece I saw, the place I started painting in and where I grew up,” she explains. “The struggles and the injustice I have witnessed in my life in Gaza inspired me to advocate for Palestine and Palestinian women through storytelling.”
“The struggles and the injustice I have witnessed in my life in Gaza inspired me to advocate for Palestine and Palestinian women through storytelling.”
In May of this year, hostilities erupted again between the nation of Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip where Malak lives. The violence lasted 11 days and left 260 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead, thousands more wounded and fuelled a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, already reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an indefinite blockade by Israel and Egypt. Immersed in a war zone for the fourth time in her life, Malak turned to the canvas to make sense of the events. “It felt strange to paint and do the most peaceful practice in the most horrendous situations,” shares Malak, who used her art to speak out about the forced evictions of Palestinians on Instagram. “My art style has not changed but my themes have. I am painting the stories of people who we lost.”
We spoke to Malak about life for artists in the Gaza Strip, what it’s like to paint through conflict and using art to honour her homeland and the Palestinians who came before her.
“Olive Harvest” by Malak Mattar. (Courtesy of Malak Mattar)
Marielle Issa (MI): What is your first memory of making art, and how did you turn it into a career?
Malak Mattar (MM): I started making art when I was 14 years old. I was surviving the third Israeli attack on my city for 52 days and I saw my neighbor getting killed and [her body] recovered from the rubble of her destroyed house. I was very overwhelmed with feelings of fear, anxiety, lack of sleep and sense of safety. I went into my room to find a way I can release my emotions and distract myself from thinking of being the next victim. I found a watercolor that I received in my school as an award of high marks and I started drawing and sketching in white papers. The experience of art was not new; I grew up watching my uncle paint and sculpt in his studio and I was fascinated by how a blank white canvas is turned into a piece of art that resonated with me and moved my feelings, and my uncle played a role in guiding me into art as he is an art professor.
When I started, I had no clue artwork could be sold. I felt too attached to my artworks as they were not only part of me, but they were me. Shipping my first drawing to my friend was a mixed feeling of happiness that I can buy more art material from my own money but also sadness to ship my drawing with no hope to see it again as traveling from Gaza was and still is quite difficult. I did not plan for my art to turn into a career as making art was a slow, spiritual and painful process, but with the high expenses of art material I had no choice but to sell some of my artwork.
“River” by Malak Mattar. (Courtesy of Malak Mattar)
MI: Your paintings are so detailed — from patterned textiles to facial features. How much research do these pieces involve and what is your process for fine-tuning these details?
MM: Being an artist means constant and consistent research on culture, history, politics, science and psychology. The majority of patterned textiles have meanings, symbols and depict different emotions. Before starting the painting, I make colored sketches and plan for the painting by working on the composition, the color theme, emotions, the story and the inspiration behind. My paintings depicting traditional dress represent different parts of Palestine as embroidery differs from one city to another.
MI: In what ways have Palestine and your Palestinian heritage influenced your paintings?
MM: Palestine is the place I was inspired by the first art piece I saw, the place I started painting in and where I grew up with a family who supported me in my journey. The struggles and the injustice I have witnessed in my life in Gaza inspired me to advocate for Palestine and Palestinian women through storytelling. My message that I hope to communicate with the world is compassion and humanity; how though many people can be individualists and living in different parts of the world, art has the power to unite us and reminds us of our humanity and vulnerability.
“Sufi” by Malak Mattar. (Courtesy of Malak Mattar)
MI: What is the art scene in Gaza like? Did you feel encouraged as a young woman to pursue painting as a career?
MM: The art scene in Gaza is diverse and each artist has their own style to paint their surroundings and how they perceive their reality as living in a war zone. As a young woman and as an artist, I had less support and recognition in my city than other male artists and that was one of the reasons I became a feminist. The type of comments I received is that women should not paint politics. Women only paint decorative paintings that are beautiful to the eyes but with no political or social dimension.
MI: What, in your mind, are the markers of “Palestinian art”?
MM: Palestinian art changes with politics and historical events, but the main marker is how artists respond to these events by documenting what they lived and witnessed. For example, Sliman Mansour, who was a child when he was expelled from his home in 1948, did a series of paintings of the Nakba. I, as a four attack survivor, have documented how I felt and the damage around me after each attack. Younger generation of artists create contemporary art that has political messages using installations and sculptures. Historically, Palestinian art often incorporates symbols of doves, keys, olives, oranges and embroidery. Some of my favorite Palestinian artists are Mona Hatoum, Sliman Mansour and Samia Halaby.
“When the World is Asleep” by Malak Mattar. (Courtesy of Malak Mattar)
MI: The May 2021 ceasefire between Israel and Palestine marked the end of a period of fighting in Gaza that left many dead and even more without homes. How have you found painting in the time since?
MM: When I started painting during the attack of 2014, art was my refuge and sanctuary. When I started painting during the last attack, it felt strange to paint and do the most peaceful practice in the most horrendous situations where families were wiped up and hundreds getting injured. When the only art store got bombed, it was quite devastating as there was limited access to art supplies and material because of the siege. My art style has not changed but my themes have as I am painting the stories of people who we lost.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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