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A powerful new exhibition showcasing the resilience and creative spirit of Palestinian artists has opened at Polat Piyalepaşa Çarşı as part of the Istanbul Culture Route Festival. The exhibition brings together selected works from three previously separate shows – “I’m Still Alive,” “Palestine Is My Homeland,” and “I Will Survive” – unified under a single roof for the first time.
Curated by Samed Karagöz, the exhibition presents a broad spectrum of Palestinian visual narratives shaped by themes of loss, identity, resistance and hope.
“Art is not merely an aesthetic pursuit,” Karagöz said in a statement, “but also a powerful tool of memory. These works bear witness to the existential struggles of individuals and societies alike. Each section of this exhibition – whether about survival, belonging or resistance – forms part of a larger, shared story: to live, to take root and to resist.”
In the “I’m Still Alive” section, artworks produced amid the ongoing destruction in Gaza take center stage. Notable pieces include drawings by Maisara Baroud and Khaled Hourani’s “Watermelon Flag,” a symbolically charged work that underscores art’s role as a form of resistance and testimony.
“The Palestine Is My Homeland” section features the work of Nabil Anani, one of the founding figures of contemporary Palestinian art. His paintings blend traditional motifs and materials with modern techniques, incorporating village landscapes and maternal figures rendered in natural pigments. The result is a visual expression of both enduring loss and enduring hope.
The final section, “I Will Survive,” includes works by renowned artist Sliman Mansour, recipient of this year’s Necip Fazıl International Culture and Art Award, presented by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Mansour, known for his evocative depictions of olive trees, stone walls and Palestinian laborers, has long used his art to assert cultural identity. Following the “First Intifada,” he famously abandoned chemical paints in favor of natural earth pigments – rooting his work, quite literally, in the land.
“These three exhibitions, though distinct in form and approach, convey a unified message,” Karagöz added. “The history, present and future of Palestine live on through art. Each piece invites viewers not only into an artistic experience, but into the collective memory and ongoing struggle of a people. Through these works, memory and resistance endure.”
