Gaza artist uses sculptures to highlight people's problems

Assaf began by collecting tools and metal pieces, and then took them to the blacksmith to be welded together before adding them to his sculptures

by Mohammed Asad

Palestinian artist Assaf Al-Kharti believes his art can be used to highlight societal problems in the Gaza Strip.

Using scrap metal to make sculptures, the 28-year-old says he is inspired by what is happening in the community. “When I’m working on an art piece I see what issues society or Gaza are facing and I try to shed light on them,” he tells MEMO.

Assaf began by collecting tools and metal pieces, and then took them to the blacksmith to be welded together before adding them to his sculptures.

Among the projects he has completed, Assad produced an artwork demonstrating the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, the migration of young people from the Strip and the trials of students during the coronavirus pandemic when schools were closed and everyone relied on distant learning.

Assaf’s art shows the nearly two-decades long Israeli blockade on Gaza as a form of constant recycling of Palestinian life in Gaza, much like his work. There is no way out and everything just keeps going round.

Palestinian artist Assaf Al-Kharti believes his art can be used to highlight societal problems in the Gaza Strip [Mo Asad]

Gaza artist uses sculptures to highlight people’s problems. [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

READ: Gaza warns landfill fire could rage for days, appeals for help

Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.