Hamza and Yasmine capture Gaza’s displacement through art
Shafaq News – Gaza
Two Palestinian visual artists, Hamza Mansour and Yasmine Asaad Abu Mohisen, are documenting the experiences of Gazans during displacement and return.
They highlight the daily suffering under bombardment, hunger, and thirst, aiming to convey the voice of besieged Gaza to the world.
Mansour, a displaced resident from Rafah, told Shafaq News that “The war destroyed my home and studio completely, and I lost all my artworks buried under the rubble.” He had run a studio teaching children painting, Arabic calligraphy, and sculpture, but displacement deprived him of everything. Access to basic art supplies such as canvas, brushes, and paints became difficult after the destruction of local markets.
He painted inside a displacement tent under challenging conditions before receiving limited support from fellow artists and arts organizations. This assistance allowed him to obtain substitute materials, though of lower quality than his previous supplies. Despite these constraints, he completed 14 acrylic-on-canvas works documenting his journey from Rafah to Khan Younis and then Deir al-Balah. His works gained attention on social media, effectively communicating the daily struggles of Gazans.
Abu Mohisen, also displaced from Rafah to Deir al-Balah, described her artistic vision, saying her paintings are entirely inspired by the harsh realities faced by residents. “The scenes I paint show only a fraction of the pain Gazans endure, such as displacement, hunger, and the difficulty of finding safe spaces or transport during constant movement,” she said.
She began painting during the war through an art platform for Yemeni artists, aiming to amplify Gaza’s voice. Her works include pieces with direct messages, such as Bread of Dignity, depicting hunger; Until When?, about the journey of displacement; and Tears of Survivors, showing children’s fear and daily struggles to access water. One of her paintings attracted the attention of a Turkish women’s center, which purchased it, providing moral support to continue her work despite the challenges.
She faced major obstacles in securing art materials due to high prices and scarcity, but painting remained her only way to express emotions that words cannot convey.
Both artists emphasize that art remains a form of quiet resistance. They say Gaza is not only about destruction and war, but also about resilience, life, and hope emerging from the rubble. The experiences of Mansour and Abu Mohisen reflect those of dozens of artists transforming pain into artwork, documenting new chapters of the sector’s suffering, and continuing to convey the hardships of civilians despite displacement, destruction, and limited resources.
