Laila Shawa

Laila Shawa (* 1940 in Gaza , Palestine ), Arabic ليلى الشوا Laila al-Shawa , DMG Lailā aš-Šawā , is a Palestinian artist .

Life

Laila Shawa studied art history at the Leonardo da Vinci Art Institute in Cairo and at the Art Academy in Rome , where she graduated in 1964. During this time she was stylistically influenced by Oskar Kokoschka , whose “ School of Seeing ” she attended. She then worked for UNRWA as an art teacher in Gaza until 1967 . She worked as a freelance artist in Beirut until the beginning of the Lebanese civil war , after which she returned to Gaza, where she and her father, Rashad al-Shawa , who was mayor of Gaza for many years, worked on the construction of the Rashad , which is named after him. Shawa Cultural Center, which opened in 1988 after three years of construction. She currently lives and works in London.

plant

Laila Shawa's work is characterized by the comparatively broad spectrum of techniques and styles that she uses: She makes sculptures, paints on canvas, uses photographs and various other materials in collages, and also works with calligraphy. She often works in series and approaches a certain topic from very different perspectives. Sometimes she also makes use of Christian and Islamic religious motifs. Hope, experience of violence through war and resistance are key themes in her work. In a socially critical manner, she also dealt with social restrictions that are specifically imposed on Palestinian women.

Work

• Cities of Gold
• Women and the Veil , including The Impossible Dream (الحلم المستحيل)
• (The Walls of) Gaza
• In the Name of God: Crucifixion
• Disposable bodies
• Where Souls Dwell
• Trapped
• The Other Side of Paradise

Web links

• Information about Laila Shawa on the October Gallery, London website
• Interview with Laila Shawa on the website of the International Museum of Women
• Laila Shawa's website