Art of the Palestinian Poster

An evocative exhibition showcasing the resurgence of Palestinian political posters as powerful works of art during the war on Gaza. 

Featuring both iconic founders of Palestine’s modern art movement and a new generation of poster-makers, this collection captures the struggles for justice, resilience, and resistance in the face of human rights violations.

The exhibition showcases anti-war works by Vera Tamari, Sliman Mansour, Tayseer Barakat, and Nabil Anani, along with contemporary pieces by Hazem Harb, Khaled El Haber, and Haneen Nazzal. These bold posters speak to the destruction of Gaza and the global indifference to the rising death toll. Also featured are works from Posters for Gaza and movements like Artists Against Apartheid and Visualizing Palestine.

Explore the history of Palestinian political posters, from their golden age (1960s–1982) to today’s “subvertising” art in public spaces. The exhibition includes a research/resource table, videos, and digital poster presentations, with select works available for purchase to benefit the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Curated by Malu Halasa, a writer, editor, and curator dedicated to amplifying voices of resistance, this exhibition reflects her. With assistance from Sara Bashiti and Valeria Berghinz.

This exhibition is sponsored by Tarwida Palestinian Arts & Culture In Conversation, BookFabulous, The Markaz Review, and Arts Canteen

The Roundtable at SOAS University | Wednesday, 18 June | 6:30–8PM

Aline Batarseh from Visualizing Palestine, Professor Dina Matar from SOAS, and Malu Halasa, curator of Art of the Palestinian Posters discuss art in Palestinian resistance and the political and aesthetic impact of Palestinian posters, with a special guest artist to be announced soon.

Art was and still is perceived as a threat in Palestine. In the West Bank and Gaza in the 1970s and 1980s, there were no official galleries, and artists showed their work in schools, churches, and town halls. The popularity of these exhibitions among ordinary Palestinians also drew an unexpected audience—the IDF. Forced to apply for permits to exhibit work, painters and sculptors found their artwork censored. Israeli soldiers even conducted studio visits. Outside the occupied territories, political posters was one art form with direct messaging and raised resistance, consciousness, and solidarity among people in the Middle East and further afield.