Laila Shawa - Artist Spotlight

Laila Shawa, the ‘mother of Arabic revolutionary art’, is renowned for her fusion of art and activism. Centring around political concerns, her art shines a light on injustice and persecution. Her unique and intellectual approach has altered the landscape of Arabic revolutionary contemporary art.

Shawa’s upbringing informed her revolutionary outlook. She was born in 1940, eight years prior to the Palestinian Nakba and the founding of the State of Israel. Her father, Rashad al-Shawa, was an activist and the mayor of Gaza city. Following her upbringing in the Gaza strip, she attended boarding school at the Leonardo da Vinci Art Institute in Cairo. She was subsequently educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, whilst also studying at the School of Seeing in Salzburg during the summer months. 

After completing her education, Shawa returned to Gaza to direct arts and crafts classes in refugee camps. She then taught with the UNESCO education programme. During a relocation to Beirut, she painted full-time for nine years before returning to Gaza. With the support of her father and husband, Shawa founded the Rashad Shawa Cultural Centre. This centre was intended to be a hub through which a cultural connection to Gaza could be established through exhibitions and art festivals. With Israeli assaults intensifying, however, it was bombed multiple times before it was opened.

During an interview with the Princeton University Art Museum, Shawa commented, ‘My inspiration is my direct experiences. It’s usually what I see, what’s around me, so it is contemporary. I prefer to do the present, now, with issues that are very relevant… my artwork is a very creative process, a mixture of intellectual processes, observations’. This illustrates her analytical and deeply thoughtful creative process. Through this approach, Shawa weaved together cultural and ideological concepts to construct various forms of art.

Drawing on pop art techniques, Shawa implemented repetition and silkscreen printing. Rather than using this to comment on consumerism or mass culture, Shawa brought the pop art tradition into a darker space. This distinctive style, fusing delicate subjects with a bold colour palette, was regarded as ‘Islamo-pop’ art. She additionally brought in elements of nature and architecture, grounding her art in the Middle Eastern landscape.

Shawa is notorious for her creation of Hands of Fatima, an oil and acrylic painting which vibrantly depicts women in patterned niqabs. The piece, created in 1992, is widely interpreted as reflecting the Middle Eastern and North African Modern Art style. Taken from a series called Women and Magic, it draws on the dialogue surrounding self-governing one’s destiny and the notion of a mysterious authority beyond personal control. The image also features henna designs and the symbol of the evil eye, which represents the belief that harm can be caused through envy. This painting is layered with various socio-political elements to form a commentary on the struggle of Palestinian women depending on higher powers to affirm their faith.

In 1992, Shawa’s first show outside the Middle East, entitled Women and Magic, took place in London. She gained international acclaim in the years following, which was sparked by her collaboration with Mona Hatoum and Balqees Fakhro. She continued to exhibit in the United Kingdom, including at the AKA Peace Exhibition at the ICA which displayed works on the London Underground in 2012. Her work has been displayed in numerous public and private collections, including The British Museum.

Following her extraordinary life and career, Shawa sadly died in 2022 at the age of 82. She remains one of Palestine’s most accomplished artists and her work continues to influence the Arabic contemporary art scene.

Click here to view all works by Laila Shawa.