art

Tamer Nafar. (Courtesy)

‘Our role is to hold on’: Palestinian artists in Israel after October 7

Three Palestinian creatives grapple with their responsibility to make art that meets the moment while Israeli authorities stifle free expression.

By Tamer Nafar July 21, 2026

A pamphlet from students at the University of Applied Arts Vienna calling to boycott Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, which forms part of the exhibition "The Splinter" at Bezalel, Jerusalem. (Hadas Hay)

Can an exhibition be ‘explicitly political’ at Israel’s preeminent art school?

‘The Splinter’ at Bezalel Academy was born out of calls to boycott the institution. The result was a fraught collaboration between student unions.

By Dikla Taylor-Sheinman July 9, 2026

Graffiti calling to boycott Israel, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, December 17, 2014. (Hadas Parush/Flash 90)

On boycott strategy and publishing Sally Rooney in Hebrew

Boycott exists for one reason: Palestine's liberation from Zionism. Translating novels for Israelis lacks a clear theory of action to help deliver that goal.

By Ahmed Moor June 2, 2026

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Faisal Saleh stands beside the exhibition he co-curated at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled “ _____________” * * Gaza - No Words - See the Exhibit.” (Oren Ziv)

‘How do you curate a genocide?’

Marred by protests over Israel’s inclusion, the Venice Biennale is hosting an exhibit with 100 works of Palestinian embroidery based on harrowing images from Gaza. Curator Faisal Saleh discusses how it came to life.

By Oren Ziv May 21, 2026

Sally Rooney. (Kalpesh Lathigra)

We’re publishing Sally Rooney in Hebrew, in line with BDS. Here’s how and why

After the Irish author declined an Israeli deal for a recent novel, we saw a chance to help strengthen the boycott movement — and clarify its aims.

By Haggai Matar May 19, 2026

Palestinians visit the Phoenix Library in central Gaza City, April 29, 2026. (Phoenix Library)

Reviving Gaza’s cultural scene from beneath the rubble

After Israel destroyed the Strip’s literary and arts institutions, Palestinians are launching new initiatives to preserve knowledge and insist on a right to life.

By Ruwaida Amer May 15, 2026

Screening of ‘No Other Land’ in At-Tuwani, Masafer Yatta, occupied West Bank, March 14, 2024. (Oren Ziv)

Israel decries Hollywood boycott — while silencing its own critical filmmakers

Films challenging dominant Zionist narratives have long faced bans, funding cuts, and smear campaigns from Israeli officials and right-wing activists alike.

By Roy Cohen September 22, 2025

Rajab Al-Rifi and his team training children at Gaza Port in western Gaza City, May 20, 2025. (Ahmed Ahmed)

Skating through rubble: The volunteers reclaiming joy for Gaza’s children

Through skateboarding, circus, and art therapy, young Gazans bring healing and brief moments of normalcy to children living through genocide.

By Ahmed Dremly June 26, 2025

Dorgham Qreaiqea leads children's activities in a tent in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Dec. 12, 2024. (Courtesy of the Qreaiqea family)

Remembering an artist who gave life to the children of Gaza

Dorgham Qreaiqea led film, theater, and painting projects with an unshakeable belief in the power of art to transcend the war. An Israeli airstrike killed him.

By Loaay Wattad April 18, 2025

A still from the short film 'Sorry Cinema' by Ahmed Hassouna, part of a film project produced by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi. (Courtesy of Rashid Masharawi)

‘Film was the best way to convey our art amid the suffering in Gaza’

Shunned by the Cannes Festival, Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi organized a protest screening of short films made by Gazans during the war.

By Ruwaida Amer July 2, 2024

Paintings from Gaza on display at "This is Not an Exhibition" in the Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, occupied West Bank. (Fatima AbdulKarim)

‘You could be looking at the last surviving works by Gaza’s artists’

An exhibition in the West Bank attempts both to capture and counteract the erasure of Palestinian life and culture in Gaza, even as its artists are killed.

By Fatima AbdulKarim May 16, 2024

Rally in solidarity with Jenin's Freedom Theatre in New York, January 15, 2024. (Ken Schles)

Art world takes the stage to defend a Palestinian theater

After an unprecedented response to Israel’s latest raid on Jenin's Freedom Theatre, there will be no going back to show business as usual.

By Dana Mills February 15, 2024

Adnan Barq and Faten Elwan speaking at the launch event of Fikra Magazine at the Qattan Foundation, Ramallah, West Bank, August 2, 2023. (Courtesy of Fikra)

Nurturing a new home for Palestinian literature

From photos of Gaza postage stamps to fictional stories about Shakira, Fikra magazine aims to be a creative, uncensored platform for writers and artists.

By Vera Sajrawi September 6, 2023