Laila Shawa

Laila Shawa
Born 1940, Gaza
Nationality Palestinian
Education Leonardo da Vinci Art Institute in Cairo, 1957–58; Academy of Fine Arts in Rome 1958–64
Style Contemporary, Revolutionary, Feminist

Laila Shawa (Arabic: ليلى الشوا; born Gaza, 1940) is a Palestinian artist whose work has been described as a personal reflection concerning the politics of her country, particularly highlighting perceived injustices and persecution. She is one of the most prominent and prolific artists of the Arabic revolutionary contemporary art scene.[1] As a Palestinian living in the Gaza Strip for her formative years and the daughter of Rashad al-Shawa, activist and mayor of Gaza 1971—82, Shawa's revolutionary mindset was inculcated at a young age. Often her artwork, which includes paintings, sculptures, and installations, works with photographs that serve as the base for silkscreen printing. Her work has been internationally exhibited and is displayed in many public (e.g. The British Museum) and private collections.[2][3][4]

Early life

Laila Shawa was born in Gaza in 1940, eight years prior to Palestine officially becoming a state alongside the new State of Israel. Shawa was well educated; she attended boarding school at the Leonardo da Vinvi Art Institute in Cairo from 1957—58, then went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome from 1958—64, while also studying during the summers at the School of Seeing in Salzburg, Austria.[5]

In 1965, after finishing her schooling, Laila Shawa returned to Gaza and directed arts and crafts classes in several refugee camps. She then continued to teach an art class for a year with UNESCO's education program.[1] She then moved to Beirut, Lebanon in 1967 for a total of nine years and was a full-time painter. After the Lebanese Civil War began, she returned to Gaza and with assistance from both her father and husband, Shawa founded the Rashad Shawa Cultural Centre.[6] Unfortunately, the center is not currently being used for what it was intended, as a cultural connection to Gaza through exhibitions and galas.

Artistic career

In an interview with the Princeton University Art Museum, Laila Shawa was asked what it is that inspires her, to which she responded, "My inspiration is my direct experiences. It's usually what I see, what's around me, so it is contemporary. I prefer to do the present, now, with issues that are very relevant...my artwork is a very creative process, a mixture of intellectual processes, observations, and I think it out very thoroughly."[7] Shawa's more thoughtful and creative approach in producing art is seen in all her various forms of artwork: painting, print, and installation. The overall configuration and detail of Islamic architecture influenced Shawa's later work as she incoorporated significant cultural and ideological elements.[5]

In 2012 to go alongside the AKA Peace Exhibition at the ICA, [8] Art Below showcased selected works from the AKA Peace series on the London Underground including artwork by Laila Shawa. "AKA Peace" originally conceived by photographer Bran Symondson and now curated by artist Jake Chapman, is an exhibition of new works made specially for The Peace One Day Project 2012, bringing together a group of Contemporary Artists, all of whom agreed to transform a decommissioned AK-47 assault rifle, refashioning into artworks.[9] For Shawa, this was no foreign object, but rather a quite common one in the West Bank. At the AKA Peace Exhibition, while standing next to her piece, she said, "I'm very familiar with AK-47s so for me it was not a very strange feeling to carry the gun, but my first question to Bran was 'how many people did this gun kill?'"[10] Shawa entitled her glamored rifle, 'Where Souls Dwell," a powerful name attached to an intensely charged piece of art. It is decorated with "rhinestones and butterflies and with the barrel sprayed gold."[10] This is only one example of the artwork by Laila Shawa, but bears light into the pain each work displays.

References

  1. 1 2 Elazzaoui, Hafsa (July 9, 2017). "Laila Shawa: Mother of Arabic Revolution Art". MVSLIM. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ Contemporary Art in The Middle East, ArtWorld, Black Dog Publishing, London, UK, 2009.
  3. ↑ The October Gallery: Laila Shawa. October Gallery. Accessed Nov 2010)
  4. ↑ Laila Shawa, Works 1965- 1994 AI-Hani Books, 1994
  5. 1 2 "Laila Shawa, Gaza: Palestine". The Recessionists. 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  6. ↑ LeMoon, Kim. "Laila Shawa". Signs Journal. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Q&A with Laila Shawa". Princeton University Art Museum. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Peace One Day's 2012 Art Project". peaceoneday.org. 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  9. ↑ "AKA BELOW". artbelow.org.uk. 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  10. 1 2 Collett-White, Mike (September 27, 2012). "AK-47s get exreme makeover in new London art show". Reuters. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
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