Gaza’s Sole Art Gallery Perseveres
Gallery Iltiqa, Gaza’s only art gallery, is adding value to the Strip’s cultural scene, despite significant challenges, Linah Alsaafin writes.
Located just a couple hundred of meters from the sea on Omar al-Mukhtar Street is Gaza’s first art gallery, a nondescript door that is nestled between minimarkets.
Gallery Iltiqa was established in October 2009. One of the founders, artist Raed Essa, said the name came from the frequent gatherings of artists in Gaza.
“The artists involved in Iltiqa have been meeting on a regular basis since 2002,” Essa explained. “That’s where the name ‘Iltiqa’ came from, which means ‘meeting.’ We’re seven people, and we decided to do something about the lack of space or workroom available for artists.”
The Gallery’s front room features paintings from local artists’ previous works, such as Mohammad al-Hawajri’s exhibition “Cactus Borders” in addition to Essa’s current work-in-progress, which are a number of paintings presenting the “Resistance Fighter” or in Arabic, “Al-Muqawim.”
