The Gaza Biennale represents an unprecedented cultural phenomenon in contemporary art. It is a global exhibition born from siege, displacement, and the unwavering determination of Palestinian artists to make their voices heard amid one of the most devastating conflicts of our time. Launched in April 2024 during the ongoing war in Gaza, this groundbreaking initiative has transformed the traditional biennale format into a powerful instrument of resistance, solidarity, and cultural survival.
Origins and Foundation
The Gaza Biennale emerged from the urgent need of Palestinian artists to find ways to resist genocide through their creative work. Co-founded by Tasneem Shatat, a 26-year-old artist from Khan Younis in Gaza, the initiative began as a collaboration with the Al Risan Art Museum, also known as the Forbidden Museum. This unique institution, located on Al Risan Mountain in the heart of Palestine, operates under the constant threat of military occupation in Area C land, where Palestinians are forbidden to build despite legal ownership.
Andreas Ibrahim, affiliated with the Al Risan Art Museum, explains that the project was “originally born from conversations with Tasneem Shatat” who contacted the institution in April 2024 and became its first resident artist. The decision to call it a “biennale” was deliberate and symbolic. As Shatat articulated, “The biggest artistic events in the world are called biennales, hosting the world’s most important artists to address the most important things in the world through their art. For us, the most important artists in the world now are the artists of Gaza”.
Redefining the Biennale Format
The Gaza Biennale fundamentally challenges traditional exhibition frameworks by operating as a decentralized, nomadic project spanning multiple continents simultaneously. Instead of gathering national pavilions in a single location, the biennale features exhibitions of Palestinian artists in self-initiated pavilions around the world. This innovative approach, born from necessity, has created what organizers call “jinnahs” (branches or wings) across 17 cities in 12 countries.
The project’s displacement mirrors the condition of its creators—unable to host exhibitions within Palestine due to the ongoing siege and bombardment, the biennale exists in a perpetual state of diaspora. Yet this displacement has become its strength, creating a transnational network of artistic solidarity that transcends geographical boundaries.
Art works featured: Murad Al-Assar – Noise of Death (2025) and Maysa Yousef – A Tent on the Road (2024). Courtesy of the artist and the Gaza Biennale
Global Reach and Impact
Since its launch, the Gaza Biennale has manifested in numerous cities worldwide, each pavilion adapting to its local context while maintaining connection to the collective vision. Major exhibitions have taken place in New York, London, Berlin, Athens, Copenhagen, Valencia, Istanbul, and Edinburgh. The New York Pavilion, hosted at Recess in Brooklyn from September 10-14, 2025, marked the first North American presentation of the biennale, featuring 25 Palestinian artists.
Each pavilion presents unique challenges and opportunities. The Istanbul Pavilion, coinciding with the 18th International Istanbul Biennial, featured works by over 50 artists from Gaza, Palestine, and beyond, alongside contributions from international artists including Alfredo Jaar, Walid Raad, and Shirin Neshat. The Greek Pavilion, titled “In the Line of Fire. Miracles amidst Ruins,” showcased 30 artists from Gaza exhibiting in Greece for the first time.
Artistic Innovation Under Siege
The circumstances under which these artworks are created and exhibited represent one of the most compelling aspects of the Gaza Biennale. With severely limited access to traditional art materials, artists have demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness, using aid boxes dropped by plane, old bread, garment scraps found in rubble, and other unconventional materials. Artist Ali Tayeh notes that “Art has become a means of documenting suffering and resilience, relying on simple materials that reflect reality, like repurposed fabrics or remnants of everyday items”.theartnewspaper
The transmission of artworks poses equally complex challenges. Since it is nearly impossible for people and artworks to physically escape Gaza under current conditions, many of the objects on view are documentation of the art being produced there: printouts of paintings, facsimiles of artist notebooks, and digital reproductions. This mediation by technology forces viewers to confront the reality of Gaza as what is often described as an “open-air prison”.
Featured Artists and Works
The biennale showcases a diverse range of artistic expressions from over 50 Palestinian artists. Notable participants include Ahmed Adnan Alassar, who created an epic panorama using leftover ashes of burned homes; Mohamed Moghari, who paints contemporary legends based on daily struggles he observes; Malaka Abu Owda, whose paintings serve as both emotional release and testimony; and Osama Husein Al Naqqa, who created elaborate sketches with his finger on his phone while taking refuge in a garage.
Artist testimonies reveal the profound personal stakes involved in this creative work. Fatema Abu Owda shared, “No one survives here, they just slowly decay. I search for peace among the remains of those who are gone”. Malaka Abu Owda described her painting practice as finding “equilibrium by approaching each piece as a scream and a memory… It is not merely art; it is a way to alleviate my suffering and amplify the voices of those who can no longer speak”.
Critical Reception and Global Response
The Gaza Biennale has garnered significant international attention from major art publications and cultural institutions. Reviews have praised its urgency and emotional impact while acknowledging the difficulty of viewing such devastating subject matter. Art critic reviews describe the experience as simultaneously “essential viewing” and an “exercise in feeling powerless” in the face of the works’ testimony to life under bombardment.
The project has also sparked important conversations about the role of cultural institutions in times of crisis. Some venues have faced potential financial repercussions for hosting politically charged exhibitions, yet many have chosen to proceed, with Recess co-director Lindsay C. Harris stating, “If these artists have the bravery to continue their work, then we can have the courage to serve as a platform for those narratives”.
Digital Innovation and Cultural Preservation
Beyond the physical exhibitions, the Gaza Biennale has pioneered digital preservation methods for artworks destroyed in the conflict. The “DNA” project, developed in collaboration with Art-Zone Palestine, collects and reproduces images of lost artworks, creating what organizers call “primary artifacts of resilience” rather than mere secondary copies. This initiative challenges traditional notions of artistic originality while ensuring cultural survival through digital afterlives.
The project’s impact extends beyond its immediate participants to influence broader conversations about the role of cultural institutions in times of crisis. By refusing to wait for institutional approval and instead creating its own network of supporters, the Gaza Biennale has shown how artists and cultural workers can respond rapidly to urgent situations.
References
- https://gazabiennale.org
- https://gazabiennale.org/about/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/arts/design/gaza-biennale-palestinian-war.html
- https://www.artnews.com/art-news/reviews/gaza-biennial-new-york-review-1234751749/
- https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/08/15/gaza-biennale-recess-brooklyn-new-york-city
- https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/b537ce8b-7c29-4812-adbe-e39f87b404b0/9781317290834.pdf
- https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/51555
- https://thetricontinental.org/asia/ticaa-03-resistance-palestine-art/
Cover Image:Firas Thabet – Gaznica (2025). Photograph: Courtesy of the artist and the Gaza Biennale
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