tour 25 of 25
Word into art
Laila Shawa (Palestine-UK), Children of war, children of peace, silkscreen on canvas in two parts
In this two-part work Laila Shawa highlights
the plight of Palestinian children. She takes as her subject a
young boy from the Sheikh Radwan refugee camp in Gaza, who has been
photographed carrying a stick. His image is repeated against
differently coloured
backgrounds.
In 1993 it
seemed that the new potential for peace following the signing of
the Oslo Agreement would change the situation of the Palestinian
refugees, particularly the lives of children. However, as the
artist
explains:
'Unfortunately
there has been no change in these children's lives and the
trauma and dispossession has carried on. The only apparent
difference in the streets of Gaza was the change in the colour of
the graffiti which became brighter. However the misery, poverty and
the trauma of violence remained.' (Artist's
statement to the
curator)
The brightness of
the second image suggests this slight note of optimism but
ultimately the lack of change. The graffiti seen in the background
was sprayed on Gaza's streets by rival groups. It has
merged and been rendered illegible, making it an evocative reminder
of the context in which it was
done.
Shawa studied at the
Leonardo School of Art, Cairo, before graduating in fine arts from
the Accademia de Belle Arti in Rome. Her work comprises oils on
canvas, photographs and silkscreens as well as designs for
stained-glass windows at the Cultural Centre in Gaza. She also
created a series of works based around graffiti called Walls of
Gaza.