Palestinian kiss

Artist Notes

Does a person’s need for love become more urgent in times of war? A reinterpretation of Gustav Klimt’s painting "The Kiss", but in a purely Palestinian style, through the use of deep red in the background and watermelon seeds, and their greenish gold garments adorned with watermelon cubes and circles, and the ground strewn with anemones and sunflowers. These symbols intensify one another, coalescing into a complete sentiment that resonates with the Palestinian experience, giving the viewer a full sense of what Palestinians endure in their daily reality bloodshed, loss, and longing for the past; The watermelon, with its deep red color, symbolizes the blood of the martyrs and the ongoing death, And the Kufua, which symbolizes the ongoing struggle, while the wildflowers symbolize the enduring longing for home for its vast green lands filled with all manner of flowers in April a yearning for both place and time at once! And the kiss… is a secret call between lovers; it is one’s clinging to whatever can be saved from this death, and it is the sole sign of life and hope... for how narrow life would be without a glimmer of hope! And Love is that HOPE !