Bethlehem, occupied West Bank – Artists arrived with family and friends at the Bethlehem Peace Center, where a live feed connected them to a small gathering at an artist’s studio in Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. The two exhibitions marked the opening of Anamel Falasteen, the first competition organised by Falasteen Collective, a cultural initiative launched in 2025 by Palestinian artists, filmmakers, designers and others working in arts and culture. The three-day twin exhibitions, held earlier this week, brought together young Palestinian artists whose work and opportunities to meet are separated by Israeli movement restrictions.
I want to say all of Palestine.” From his studio at Gallery Paleta in Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp, amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave, painter and juror Ghanem Al Den sent greetings on the live feed. The most important thing is hope.” After the speeches, visitors had the opportunity to take a closer look at the paintings, photographs and drawings that covered the walls. Visitors moved between them, stopping to look closer, point and talk about what they saw.
Because of the blockade and movement restrictions, the organisers said there was no way to transport original artworks out of Gaza. Instead, they printed reproductions of the Gaza submissions and hung them alongside original pieces. For one Bethlehem visitor, the curation was what stood out.
She assumed some works exploring similar themes were by the same artist. They turned out to be by different artists, some in Gaza and others in the West Bank. Abusrour said the idea for the competition came from listening to artist friends describe how they could not participate or express themselves freely.
He said the aim was to give young Palestinians a platform to show their work at home and abroad “without any restriction”. The competition was open to artists aged 15 to 30. About 170 applied, nearly 60 percent from Gaza, according to the organisers.
A jury split between the West Bank and Gaza selected 120 works across three tracks: memory and place, land and return, and everyday heritage. The jury met daily by video, working through power and internet cuts in Gaza. Among the works shown in Gaza was The Vine Bears Witness, by Arwa Mukhaimer, a 20-year-old university student.
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