Malak Mattar

Malak Mattar, a Palestinian artist from Gaza, paints powerful expressionist faces, figures, and semi abstract designs. She first started painting at age 13, during the 51 day Israeli military assault on Gaza in 2014. Forced to stay inside for her own safety, she felt a compelling need to release all of her negative energy, fear, anxiety and sheer terror. She started painting with art supplies from her school, basic watercolour on paper. This opened up a world of self expression for her. Today Malak has produced over 300 paintings. Unable to leave Gaza due to restrictions of the Israeli occupation, Mattar shows her paintings to the world via social media, on Instagram and Facebook. “I don’t paint despite war and occupation. I paint because of it. Living through this era of war, there’s a big part of me that wants to document. I have this feeling that everything I do will live longer than me, than everyone. Even with a portrait that has nothing to do with the situation, it is a document because I was the one who painted it.”

Follow Malak Mattar in Return Week II

Art Exhibition: Visualising Return

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