In this episode of BS'ing with Sean K, Sean Kneese talks to Malak Mattar: abstract expressionist artist from the Gaza Strip. Today at age 20, Malak is known for her Picasso-like expressionist faces and abstract designs, painted largely in response to and a way to cope during and following the 51-day Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip in 2014. What was originally a form of coping and self-expression became her passion and livelihood, and one that has been appreciated by people far beyond the borders of the Gaza Strip. Since her first watercolor, she has produced hundreds of paintings, which have earned her international recognition, with her paintings being featured in Jerusalem, Spain, Turkey, Costa Rica, India, and the United States. Malak talks about her art and the inspiration behind it, growing up in Gaza and under occupation, the recent Israeli annexation plan, Picasso, racism, travel and more.
Link to Malak's Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MalakArtStore
Malak on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malak_mattar_artist/
Relevant articles/sources: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinians-and-israelis-rally-against-west-bank-annexation-plan
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53139808
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/israelopt-unlawful-annexation-plan-promotes-law-of-the-jungle-and-must-be-stopped/
Petition to stop annexation: https://www.change.org/p/u-s-senate-oppose-annexation-of-palestinian-land?recruiter=548915396&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&recruited_by_id=978d8320-25de-11e6-8a68-4be4b986ae37
The True Meaning of BSing
Sean K = me, Sean Kneese. I originally started this podcast as simply a space for traditional interviews with artists and other creative types. As I started bringing on increasing numbers of diverse guests, the show organically developed its own theme: I converse with people who think and live outside the box and are pursuing their creative and intellectual passions. They are non-conformists: people who go against the grain and follow their own path. I also like to provide a platform for opinions that aren't often heard in the mainstream media, and prefer to keep a conversational feel to my interviews. I enjoy talking to all different kinds of people from all walks of life and I hope that my podcast can show that we all have more in common than we think, even if it might not always seem that way on the surface.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment