I can’t remember the exact moment I started making art; perhaps it was the moment I gained awareness of the world around me and myself, or maybe even a little earlier than that. My mother says that I liked drawing at the age of three. Like any other kid, I drew a house, a tree, and a sun in the corner of the paper. Then I grew up, and the second Intifada grew with me. I drew a tank with soldiers and a kid defying metal with a stone. I met my childhood friend, Khaled J., who taught me how to draw Handala. Khaled became a Shaheed, a kid forever. In that moment, I started viewing Handala as more than a patriotic icon; to me, Handala became a dear figure that will accompany me until my last day.

And just like that, I navigated through a historical, political, and social context that molded my artistic identity. I was influenced by several well-known Palestinian art figures like Naji Al-Ali, Ghassan Kanafani, and Ismail Shammout, as well as some artists who didn’t get the chance to be known yet. In short, what inspires my art is political, religious, and folkloric symbols. I believe that art both reminds us of who we are and shapes what we will become.