The posters featured in this article may be viewed in detail here
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EXCERPT
The watermelon symbol first appeared in the 1980s, in renowned Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour’s gallery, where an Israeli soldier confiscated art containing the Palestinian flag and explained that the same fate would be met with any piece containing its colors, saying “Even if you painted a watermelon, we will confiscate it.” This is how the idea came to the artist and has been widely used since then.
When we say Palestine, we say activism. And when we say activism, we inevitably say art.
One of the most popular artists who has been voicing his unconditional support to his nation is previously mentioned: Sliman Mansour. Mansour is not unfamiliar with the situation, and he is certainly not new to the scene; he has been painting for Palestine for decades, showcasing the country’s beauty and traditions. However, after the above-mentioned Watermelon-incident, he decided to turn some of his work political and denounce what had been happening for so long, using materials like mud and henna to boycott Israeli supplies after the first “Intifada2 ” of 1987 – 1993. Some of his artwork include a Woman Carrying Jerusalem (1997) and Rituals Under Occupation (1989).
Sliman Mansour might be one of the most influential artists in this area, but he is certainly not the only one. While it is true that Palestinian artists have been very loud, other artists have also shown their solidarity with the Palestinian case, risking criticism, harassment, or even losing their jobs. One example is Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki whose two artworks about Palestine (first: Al-Moultham – “الملثم”, meaning the veiled one, 2012; second: Thaeroun – “ثائرون”, meaning rebels) got removed from auction company Christie’s on November 9, only days before their scheduled sales.
Although many artists have accurately depicted the tremendous current situation in Gaza, the lengths of their dedication do not stop here. In fact, a lot have been donating pieces of their artwork to be able to raise emergency relief funds for this case, such as Jordanian artist Shereen Audi (creator of With Love to Palestine, 2023, representing hope) who has donated a print of this piece to Gallery Bawa in Kuwait. The gallery was holding an emergency relief sale and hit its goal of $10,000 in only five days, which pushed it to extend the sale further with new pieces.
Source:
https://sites.aub.edu.lb/outlook/2024/03/04/canvas-of-liberation-artists-bold-strokes-for-palestine/