FRAGMENTS OF SURVIVAL – Hussein al-Jerjawi

Curated by: Gazmend Ejupi
Venue: Reporting House Gallery, former department store “Germia” in Prishtina

Reporting House Gallery Prishtina, is pleased to announce Fragments of Survival, a powerful solo exhibition of Hussein al-Jerjawi, Gazan artist, curated by Gazmend Ejupi.

Hussein al-Jerjawi, 18, has endured displacement five times because of the war provoked by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks. The conflict has also cost him his education. The war profoundly influenced his artistic journey, and he turned to an unconventional medium: humanitarian flour bags as canvases. His paintings on the symbols of survival in a besieged land show cracks, fissures and other symbols that reflect the fractured existence of those in Gaza.

“When I paint on a flour bag, it feels as if I’m writing our history with a brush dipped in suering and resilience. The choice of aid bags is a natural response to the scarcity of traditional art supplies in Gaza”, al-Jerjawi said. “In a refugee tent, surrounded by empty UNRWA flour bags, I decided to paint on them to capture the pain of war and my story of displacement,” he said, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the main UN aid agency for Palestinians.

Developments of recent weeks have only added poignancy to al-Jerjawi’s medium of expression. UNRWA is now shut out by Israel and the USA, who have established as its replacement the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose patchy food distributions have so far been accompanied by Israeli army mass shootings of prospective Palestinian aid beneficiaries on an almost daily basis.

Created under the extreme conditions of siege and war, al-Jerjawi’s work stands as a visceral testament to the enduring power of creativity in the face of hardship and destruction.

“Even after losing so much, my art remains my defiance,” he said. Describing one of his paintings, al-Jerjawi said “bags of flour silently witness the stories of the displaced, waiting for survival. With printed words emphasising a frozen human condition, the raised, clenched hands – some gripping flour, others empty – speak to the desperate search for hope.”

He added that “the faces are stories of fatigue and hunger. The eyes ask not just for bread but for dignity. The faded crowd in the background, like shadows, waits in an endless line.” Al-Jerjawi views his art as a defence of Palestinian identity.

This work presents the political narrative and collective trauma of Gaza and offers a more intimate reflection on identity, the body, and personal spaces of survival.

At Reporting House, we reflect on the impact of war and conflict, and on societies shaped by resistance and the fight for freedom. We believe that by sharing diverse perspectives we take a small step forward to foster solidarity, deeper understanding, and remind our visitors that the struggle for justice and peace is a shared human experience.