The Palestinian artist, Malak Mattar, transforms her inherited talent from a mere coping mechanism into an exerting tool to voice the societal and other struggles encountered by Palestinian women lodging in Palestine.
Born and raised in Gaza city, Mattar launched her first solo art exhibition at the age of 15 leaving the world astonished by her endowments and abilities to voice emotional messages of Palestinian women struggling silently in unison. Nonetheless, the journey to such success hasn't been easy as it seems.
"I always felt like I was not perceived as a serious female artist but as someone who’s only doing art," Malak stated. "After my first solo exhibition, I was told that I could pursue art professionally at a later stage because I’m still young back then. Unlike my male colleague, he was the same age yet received triple the recognition."
Being the brilliant lady she is, Mattar was also able to get the first rank in Gaza's Tawjihi exams, nevertheless, her family refused to let her travel alone to ameliorate as an artist. This comes from a rationale shared among people in Gaza that women can't travel alone as it's very hard for them to leave Gaza without incurring approval from their surroundings.
“Gaza is a conservative place so I kept battling for my dreams until I was granted a scholarship opportunity to study Political science or Medicine in Turkey,” said Mattar. “Eventually, I selected political science as a major to have a space to practice my art in my spare time,” she added.
Even though the war has been a traumatizing part of Mattar’s life and the psychological hardships accompanied by it, she didn’t let that take over her life or career. For instance, Malak gets her inspiration today from her environs and the places she visits aiming to enrich her talent and inner soul.
“In my paintings, it is obvious that I lived under siege and encountered instabilities. So, when I bring this narrative to the table, it sometimes becomes an intangible matter yet still affects me mentally and psychologically.” Malak told Kayani Project.
One of Mattar’s most renowned art pieces is the Thawra painting as it was inspired by the poster of Rosie the Riveter. Malak debates that she painted this unusual piece after the death of Israa Ghrayeb, the Palestinian victim who was beaten brutally until death by her brothers.
“I was moved by Israa’s story and that of hundreds of women who were mercilessly killed under the shameful title of “Honour Killing”, my work is a tribute to them all,” Malak added.
Today, we witness Malak serving the world as a role model for the many female artists who are told that 'art is just a hobby and that they can't achieve greatness through it.
"I understand our struggles as marginalized women because I was there, in Palestine, and I am well aware of how difficult it can be to just speak up and have a voice," Malak assures, ending that "However, we have to believe in ourselves instead of waiting for others to do the job for us."