{"id":1779462,"date":"2026-02-19T06:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1779462"},"modified":"2026-02-19T06:08:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:08:00","slug":"these-haunting-paintings-depict-daily-life-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1779462","title":{"rendered":"These haunting paintings depict daily life in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-734-2170-1446\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437009.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/art-photography\/article\/69616\/1\/paintings-daily-life-in-gaza-marwan-nassar-survive-witness-p21-gallery-london\" data-article-id=\"69616\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img no-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.72\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Untitled, 2025, 30x20cm \" class=\"img\" height=\"2997\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437009.jpg\" width=\"2170\"><\/span><\/span><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T06:08:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - art-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>These haunting paintings depict daily life <span class=\"nowrap\">in Gaza<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>\u2018In Gaza, art is not a decorative act\u2019: We speak with Palestinian artist Marwan Nassar about his new exhibition To Survive <span class=\"nowrap\">to Witness<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T06:08:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T06:08:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/JamesGreig\">James Greig<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-7-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">To Survive to Witness, Marwan Nassar, <span class=\"nowrap\">Palestinian art<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/0\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024, 30 x 20 cm(1\" class=\"img\" height=\"1429\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-165-2144-1429\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437004.jpg\" width=\"2144\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/1\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024 30 x 20 cm \" class=\"img\" height=\"1429\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-1493-2144-1429\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437005.jpg\" width=\"2144\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/2\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024, 20 x 30 cm(1\" class=\"img\" height=\"1952\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2928-1952\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437006.jpg\" width=\"2928\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/3\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024 20 x 30 cm\" class=\"img\" height=\"1925\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-140-2888-1925\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437007.jpg\" width=\"2888\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/4\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024 30 x 20 cm. \" class=\"img\" height=\"1420\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-780-2130-1420\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437008.jpg\" width=\"2130\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/5\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Untitled, 2025, 30x20cm \" class=\"img\" height=\"1446\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-734-2170-1446\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437009.jpg\" width=\"2170\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 7 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong><span>Art in Gaza is not a luxury, but an existential necessity,\u201d says Palestinian painter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/artist_marwan_nassar\/?hl=en-gb\">Marwan Nassar<\/a>, whose new exhibition, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/p21.gallery\/node\/503\"><em><span>To Survive to Witness<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, has just launched at London\u2019s p21 Gallery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Since the beginning of the genocide, Nassar has created over 400 paintings and drawings, which had previously been displayed by Art Zone Palestine, a platform focused on works which have been erased, destroyed or stolen amid war and occupation. <\/span><em><span>\u00a0To Survive To Witness <\/span><\/em><span>presents a curated selection of over 40 limited-edition prints, which will also be available to buy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The artist\u2019s work depicts life in Gaza during a time of mass displacement, imposed starvation and constant aerial bombardment. His style is energetic and textured, bold and expressive rather than strictly realistic, and often carries a sense of movement. There is, unsurprisingly, an air of melancholy to many of his pieces, with lots of blue tones and faces rendered, with heavy brush strokes, in moments of grief and anxiety. But amid the devastation, Nassar finds moments of normality, and the effect is often more ambiguous than anything: it\u2019s hard to discern whether the fishermen in one painting are experiencing a moment of serenity in nature, or lonely figures battling a storm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"221776fe-5f39-4f2c-ac02-b3ee011f3c76\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437010.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.73\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"To Survive To Witness\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437010.jpg\" width=\"2184\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">&#8216;Untitled&#8217;, Marwan <span class=\"nowrap\">Nassar (2025)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">p21 Gallery\/ <span class=\"nowrap\">Marwan Nassar<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, beginning in October 2023, has led to a clear stylistic shift in Nassar\u2019s art. \u201cMy expression has become more tense, more attached to the everyday scene and its psychological and visual repercussions,\u201d he says. Living in extremely volatile conditions has often deprived him of the tools he needs, along with sources of inspiration like novels, films and access to nature. \u201cHowever, this reality offers vivid visual material and vibrant stories that stem from everyday details, allowing me to raise contemporary issues that keep pace with the age of digitisation, where art and politics intersect,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At the more practical level, the challenges of daily life in Gaza have had a notable impact on Nassar\u2019s work. He has had to shift towards creating smaller pieces which can be easily transported in cases of displacement, having experienced difficulty in transporting larger paintings. It has become much harder to find the time and space to paint. Within the first year of the genocide, his studio was transformed into a shelter for displaced people, so he worked in the streets, in the yard of his house in <\/span><span>Nuseirat<\/span><span> camp, and then in various places of displacement, moving between a tent and the home of a relative. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"65e36f92-f604-4222-b73d-b3ee011f2e8e\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437006.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.44\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024, 20 x 30 cm(1\" class=\"img\" height=\"2028\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437006.jpg\" width=\"2928\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">&#8216;Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza&#8217;, Marwan <span class=\"nowrap\">Nassar (2024)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">p21 Gallery\/ <span class=\"nowrap\">Marwan Nassar<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cWar has made everyday life almost impossible, and in my artistic practice I have had to rely on the simplest tools available: paper, ink, charcoal pens, and homemade food dyes.\u201d He began to work with old papers and archival materials, blending drawing, text and colour to create new visual compositions. \u201cThe words on the pages became an organic element in the painting itself.\u00a0 Each printed word was considered a stand-alone narrative, part of Gaza\u2019s historical memory.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As the exhibition\u2019s title suggests, art is for Nassar a form of witness and survival. \u201cFrom the beginning, the goal was not just to record these events, but to explore the possibility of psychological survival in a harsh daily reality,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery day, painting has remained a safe haven for me and my family, a space in which we try to think outside the realm of reality, and to find an outlet to breathe amid the general suffocation. It turned into a medicine and a doctor at the same time, rather than an abstract search for beauty.\u201d More than just a means of survival, he believes that art produced in Gaza during this period is a visual document that \u201cseeks to raise the level of global human solidarity\u201d and resists the reduction of Palestinians to statistics in news articles. Present in every scene, he says, is a spirit which embodies \u201ctragedy and steadfastness at the same time\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the early days of the genocide, his work had a \u201cdocumentary character\u201d, but over time, the experience had a more profound impact on his aesthetic approach and view of life. \u201cIn this context, art was not a decorative act,\u201d he says, \u201cbut rather an act of defiance and resistance; a confrontation with beauty and meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/p21.gallery\/node\/503\">To <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/p21.gallery\/node\/503\">Survive to Witness<\/a><em>is running at p21 Gallery, London, until March 13, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69583\/1\/pulp-zine-2-launch-sexuality-ink-fetish-photograpahy-london-erotic-magazine\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Pulp Zine 2\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-209-1080-718\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436654.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Pulp Zine\u2019s latest issue explores sex in our hypervisible age<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-7-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">To Survive to Witness, Marwan Nassar, <span class=\"nowrap\">Palestinian art<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/0\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024, 30 x 20 cm(1\" class=\"img\" height=\"1429\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-165-2144-1429\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437004.jpg\" width=\"2144\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/1\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024 30 x 20 cm \" class=\"img\" height=\"1429\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-1493-2144-1429\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437005.jpg\" width=\"2144\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/2\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024, 20 x 30 cm(1\" class=\"img\" height=\"1952\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2928-1952\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437006.jpg\" width=\"2928\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/3\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024 20 x 30 cm\" class=\"img\" height=\"1925\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-140-2888-1925\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437007.jpg\" width=\"2888\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/4\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024 30 x 20 cm. \" class=\"img\" height=\"1420\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-780-2130-1420\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437008.jpg\" width=\"2130\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36661\/5\/to-survive-to-witness-marwan-nassar-palestinian-art\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Untitled, 2025, 30x20cm \" class=\"img\" height=\"1446\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-734-2170-1446\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437009.jpg\" width=\"2170\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 7 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong><span>Art in Gaza is not a luxury, but an existential necessity,\u201d says Palestinian painter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/artist_marwan_nassar\/?hl=en-gb\">Marwan Nassar<\/a>, whose new exhibition, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/p21.gallery\/node\/503\"><em><span>To Survive to Witness<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, has just launched at London\u2019s p21 Gallery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Since the beginning of the genocide, Nassar has created over 400 paintings and drawings, which had previously been displayed by Art Zone Palestine, a platform focused on works which have been erased, destroyed or stolen amid war and occupation. <\/span><em><span>\u00a0To Survive To Witness <\/span><\/em><span>presents a curated selection of over 40 limited-edition prints, which will also be available to buy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The artist\u2019s work depicts life in Gaza during a time of mass displacement, imposed starvation and constant aerial bombardment. His style is energetic and textured, bold and expressive rather than strictly realistic, and often carries a sense of movement. There is, unsurprisingly, an air of melancholy to many of his pieces, with lots of blue tones and faces rendered, with heavy brush strokes, in moments of grief and anxiety. But amid the devastation, Nassar finds moments of normality, and the effect is often more ambiguous than anything: it\u2019s hard to discern whether the fishermen in one painting are experiencing a moment of serenity in nature, or lonely figures battling a storm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"221776fe-5f39-4f2c-ac02-b3ee011f3c76\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437010.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.73\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"To Survive To Witness\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437010.jpg\" width=\"2184\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">&#8216;Untitled&#8217;, Marwan <span class=\"nowrap\">Nassar (2025)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">p21 Gallery\/ <span class=\"nowrap\">Marwan Nassar<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, beginning in October 2023, has led to a clear stylistic shift in Nassar\u2019s art. \u201cMy expression has become more tense, more attached to the everyday scene and its psychological and visual repercussions,\u201d he says. Living in extremely volatile conditions has often deprived him of the tools he needs, along with sources of inspiration like novels, films and access to nature. \u201cHowever, this reality offers vivid visual material and vibrant stories that stem from everyday details, allowing me to raise contemporary issues that keep pace with the age of digitisation, where art and politics intersect,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At the more practical level, the challenges of daily life in Gaza have had a notable impact on Nassar\u2019s work. He has had to shift towards creating smaller pieces which can be easily transported in cases of displacement, having experienced difficulty in transporting larger paintings. It has become much harder to find the time and space to paint. Within the first year of the genocide, his studio was transformed into a shelter for displaced people, so he worked in the streets, in the yard of his house in <\/span><span>Nuseirat<\/span><span> camp, and then in various places of displacement, moving between a tent and the home of a relative. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"65e36f92-f604-4222-b73d-b3ee011f2e8e\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437006.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.44\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza, 2024, 20 x 30 cm(1\" class=\"img\" height=\"2028\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437006.jpg\" width=\"2928\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">&#8216;Scenes From Daily Life in Gaza&#8217;, Marwan <span class=\"nowrap\">Nassar (2024)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">p21 Gallery\/ <span class=\"nowrap\">Marwan Nassar<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cWar has made everyday life almost impossible, and in my artistic practice I have had to rely on the simplest tools available: paper, ink, charcoal pens, and homemade food dyes.\u201d He began to work with old papers and archival materials, blending drawing, text and colour to create new visual compositions. \u201cThe words on the pages became an organic element in the painting itself.\u00a0 Each printed word was considered a stand-alone narrative, part of Gaza\u2019s historical memory.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As the exhibition\u2019s title suggests, art is for Nassar a form of witness and survival. \u201cFrom the beginning, the goal was not just to record these events, but to explore the possibility of psychological survival in a harsh daily reality,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery day, painting has remained a safe haven for me and my family, a space in which we try to think outside the realm of reality, and to find an outlet to breathe amid the general suffocation. It turned into a medicine and a doctor at the same time, rather than an abstract search for beauty.\u201d More than just a means of survival, he believes that art produced in Gaza during this period is a visual document that \u201cseeks to raise the level of global human solidarity\u201d and resists the reduction of Palestinians to statistics in news articles. Present in every scene, he says, is a spirit which embodies \u201ctragedy and steadfastness at the same time\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the early days of the genocide, his work had a \u201cdocumentary character\u201d, but over time, the experience had a more profound impact on his aesthetic approach and view of life. \u201cIn this context, art was not a decorative act,\u201d he says, \u201cbut rather an act of defiance and resistance; a confrontation with beauty and meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/p21.gallery\/node\/503\">To <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/p21.gallery\/node\/503\">Survive to Witness<\/a><em>is running at p21 Gallery, London, until March 13, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69616\/1\/paintings-daily-life-in-gaza-marwan-nassar-survive-witness-p21-gallery-london&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-734-2170-1446\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437009.jpg&#8221;] February\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox These haunting paintings depict daily life in Gaza \u2018In Gaza, art is not a decorative act\u2019: We speak with Palestinian artist Marwan Nassar about his new exhibition To Survive to Witness February\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 February\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 TextJames Greig [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1779462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1779462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779462\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1779462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1779462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1779462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}