Palestinian Artist Speaks of the Power of Art at VCUarts Qatar

he Library at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) – a Qatar Foundation partner university – recently organized a public talk by Palestinian artist and activist Malak Mattar, on campus. 

In the talk, Mattar focused on how the socio-political context of Gaza influences her work, especially in light of the latest events in the region. 

During her visit, Mattar also conducted two workshops and had lunch with students from the University’s Palestinian Club. 

The talks and interactive sessions helped faculty and students understand the relationship between art and socio-political environments, encouraging them to think critically about the contexts in which their own work is created.

The artist’s personal stories and experiences raised empathy and awareness about the challenges and resilience of artists in conflict zones. Attendees learned how art can be a powerful tool for social change and advocacy. 

The visit also facilitated meaningful dialogue between the artist, faculty, and students, providing attendees with a safe space to ask questions, share ideas, and engage in discussions about art and society. 

Mattar was born in 1999 in the Gaza Strip and grew up under occupation and the military siege. From a family of talented cultural practitioners, Mattar started making art as a teenager during a period of open conflict. Soon, she started to sell work online and exhibit internationally. She won a scholarship to study political science at Istanbul Aydin university (2018–22) and another to study a Master of Fine Art at Central Saint Martin’s, London, in 2023. 

Soon after arriving in the UK, Mattar’s entire world turned upside down, causing her work to undergo a dramatic shift in style, subject matter and palette. While artist-in-residence at ‘An Effort’ in Central London (December 2023–February 2024), she documented the genocide in her homeland through a series of mostly monochrome drawings and paintings. She later combined these scenes into a monumental greyscale painting called ‘No Words’. This work is a testimony to the apocalyptic horror and extent of the displacement, ethnic cleansing and atrocities being ravaged upon Mattar’s fellow Palestinians: “It needs to be completely horrific,” she stated while making the work, “otherwise it will not accurately reflect the genocide.” 

Mattar wrote and illustrated the bestselling children’s book Sitti’s Bird (2021) based on her own life experiences, which is already in its second print run. In defiance of strict travel restrictions, Mattar has lectured in universities across the USA (2020–21) and she has had solo exhibitions in Palestine (2015 onwards); Costa Rica (2015); Great Britain (2017, 2018, 2023, 2024); Sweden (2018); USA (2019, 2021); Germany (2020); Lebanon (2021); Portugal (2022) and Italy (2022). Most recently, Mattar had two concurrent exhibitions in London, and her monumental painting No Words was shown for the first time (March 2024). Her artworks have also been collected, published, and exhibited in numerous group shows worldwide.