Gazan Artist Speaks About a Lifetime of Trauma and War
“We live in constant fear of censorship. No artist should have that fear,”says 21-year-old artist Malak Matar.
by Hakim BisharaMay 26, 2021
Malak Matar, “When peace dies, embrace it. It will live again.” (2019) (allimages courtesy the artist)At age 21, Malak Matar, a Gaza-born artist, has survived three wars anduntold trauma. She also recently lived through the 11-day Israeli assault onher city that killed over 240 civilians, including dozens of children. Afragile ceasefire was signed on May 20 between Israel and Hamas, which rules the besieged Gaza Strip.But suffering in Gaza, one of the most impoverishedcities in the world, hasn’t ceased. The grief and loss continue with entirefamilies slain; over 70,000 people displaced; widescale damage to property; and continued misery under Israel’s ongoing blockade.
That’s why Matar, who recently returned home after four years of studies inTurkey, thinks that the term “war survivor” is hollow.
“Nobody survives wars; this is a myth,” she told Hyperallergic in a phoneconversation last week, while the bombardment was still ongoing. “You neverreally survive the trauma of it. When your life can be taken so carelessly,it can easily lose its purpose.”
The self-taught artist, who sells prints of her works on Etsy to make aliving, started creating art as a teenager during the 2014 Israeli war onGaza, which claimed over 2,000 Palestinian lives. The titles of her acrylicpaintings, many of which featuring women, indicate grief and resilience as two major motifs of her work. Examples include “Dreams of Gaza,” “Cage,” “This Is My Home,” and “When Peace Dies, Embrace It. It Will Live Again.”
Since the latest round of violence broke on May 10, Matar has posted videoson Instagram showing bombings outside her window. Matar and her family havenot been physically hurt, though she says they’ve lost numerous friends andneighbors, young and old.
Hyperallergic spoke with Matar on the last day of the attacks, several hoursbefore a ceasefire was announced. The artist spoke about the situation onthe ground in Gaza, life under siege and war, and the difficulty ofsustaining an artistic practice under such conditions.
Hyperallergic: First, how are you?
Malak Matar: It’s been really difficult. We are losing people every day. Mymother, who is a teacher, lost two of her students. Her colleague lost herhusband and house. Ten other families we know have become homeless. Everyexplosion feels like an earthquake. And it always feels as if it’s happening just outside my window.
H: Do you feel an urge to document the situation through painting? Are youat all capable of producing any art under these circumstances?
MM: “Last Painting Before 2021 War” (2021)
H: Your Etsy page includes a recent painting titled “Last Painting Before2021 War“. It shows a woman sleeping serenely under a blanket covered withmermaids against the background of a sunset. Can you tell us more about thisspecific work?
MM: I’ve had a difficult time fitting into society in Turkey. I never feltwelcomed there. But I wasn’t able to visit home for four years because theborder crossing between Gaza and Egypt was closed. When I finally traveledhome in March, I was held at the border for several days. Gaza is a city under siege, and electricity is not something we see seven days a week, but I still got my best sleep in years. I wanted to remember that feeling. Ipainted mermaids because the sea was loud that night and entered my sleep. They also represent the dream of freedom. I finished this painting just a few days before the attack.
Now when I look at the sea, I see the Israeli navy firing at us. Thisoccupation is turning everything beautiful into frightening and ugly. It’skilling the soul of this city and its people.
H: Your work has been shown in several international venues. It seems likeyou’ve been able to beat the odds after all.
MM: My paintings have always had more freedom of movement than I do. I wasable to ship the artwork but I was stuck in Gaza because I’m not able totravel or get a visa.
But each artwork that leaves Gaza is vetted by the Israeli forces to makesure it’s “safe content.” Every time I go to the local post office to sendan artwork, a worker there tells me: make sure the artwork is not political,otherwise it won’t get to its destination. We live in constant fear of censorship. No artist should have that fear.
Malak MatarH: Your work includes many depictions of Palestinian women. How present areyou in these figures?
MM: I see myself in each portrait, though they’re inspired by many differentwomen I see. Artists often have one persona or portrait that keeps growingwith them over the years through different styles and mediums. I would saythat it’s me growing up but it’s also women around me.
H: What ambitions do you for the future as an artist? Do you, for example,hope to start a new life somewhere else?
MM: Right now, my ambition is to get out of this war. I’m suspending all mydreams and hopes until I survive this attack. I don’t have any sense ofsafety. I could lose my life any second.
The most precious thing that anyone can have is not personal achievements.It’s having a sense of safety. I’ve had successes in my life for someone atmy age but they feel useless now. What is the value of these achievements ifmy life is at risk?
Malak Matar, “My Skin is Not a Sin” (2020)
In several previous interviews with the international press, Matar has beenroutinely asked: “What message do you have to the world?” Admittedly, that’sa question we intended to ask her as well, as voices of artists from Gazaare rarely amplified. But before we did, Matar stated that she finds this question “offensive.”
“I get asked these questions a lot, but I lost faith in the ‘internationalcommunity’ when I was eight years old and witnessed things that I didn’teven have words to describe,” the artist said. “I’m not yet healed from thetrauma of 2014. I’ve seen neighbors being carried to ambulances in pieces.”
“I’ve always tried to be a citizen of the world, but then I’m alwaysreminded that I’m stateless,” Matar continued. “All I hear from leaders ofother countries is that they are ‘concerned about the situation in Gaza.’Don’t just be concerned. Take action.”