‘Our works are next to each other’: Art bridges Gaza and West Bank

Key points

• The twin exhibitions in Bethlehem and Bureij refugee camp marked the first competition by Falasteen Collective, connecting young Palestinian artists separated by Israeli movement restrictions.
• About 170 artists aged 15 to 30 applied, with nearly 60 percent from Gaza, and a jury selected 120 works across three tracks.
• Because of the blockade, original artworks could not leave Gaza, so reproductions were displayed alongside originals in Bethlehem.

Artists gathered at the Bethlehem Peace Center in the occupied West Bank and at a studio in Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip for twin exhibitions held earlier this week. A live feed connected the two locations.

The exhibitions opened Anamel Falasteen, the first competition organised by Falasteen Collective, a cultural initiative launched in 2025 by Palestinian artists, filmmakers and designers. The events brought together young Palestinian artists whose work and opportunities to meet are separated by Israeli movement restrictions.

Artists bridge the distance

Osama Nazzal, a judge speaking in Bethlehem, said the competition included 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," he said.

Painter and juror Ghanem Al Den sent greetings from his studio at Gallery Paleta in Bureij refugee camp via live feed. "Greetings and peace from soul to soul, from Gaza to our sister Palestinian cities across this beloved homeland," he said, adding that the competition brought together many things that were lost, and most importantly hope.

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.

— Hanan Barghouthi

Works and challenges

Organisers said the blockade and movement restrictions prevented original artworks from leaving Gaza, so reproductions of the Gaza submissions were printed and hung alongside originals in Bethlehem. The competition was open to artists aged 15 to 30; about 170 applied, nearly 60 percent from Gaza. A jury split between the West Bank and Gaza selected 120 works across three tracks: memory and place, land and return, and everyday heritage. The jury met daily by video, working through power and internet cuts in Gaza.

Among the works shown in Gaza was The Vine Bears Witness by Arwa Mukhaimer, a 20-year-old university student. It depicts the entrance to her family's home, shaded by a grapevine, where on March 30, 2024, she received news of her father's death after he was unable to get medical treatment during the war. Five months later, she said, the house was destroyed. "This painting is a memorial to what we lost, a double loss, of the father and of the place," she told Al Jazeera. In Bethlehem, Hanan Barghouthi, 24, a visual artist from Ramallah, painted a Palestinian wedding filled with bright colours and traditional symbols. "All the art has become about people expressing sadness, so I want to reflect happiness, because I like to be happy," she said.