Leila Salah Kassab, a visual artist from the city of Rafah, in Gaza, Palestine, has learned to transform pain into colors. In this interview, she speaks to Baladi Magazine‘s Gaza Editor, Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi about art as a form of resistance, Gaza’s resilience, and the humanitarian projects that connect her to her people.
About the Artist
TAA – Tell us about yourself—your name, age, your art. Where in Gaza are you from?
LSK – My name is Leila Kassab, a woman who has learned to gather the pieces of herself through colors. I am 40 years old, but in Gaza, years are not measured by age—they are measured by what the heart survives. I am from the south and live in Rafah… a place that teaches you that love can survive on rubble, and that memory does not need a house to remain alive.
TAA – How did your journey with art begin? When did you first realize that art mattered to you?
LSK – It all began when I discovered that paper listens more than people, and that the lines my hands drew had been hiding inside me for a long time. I grew, and so did my art… like an extra heart that gives me the ability to breathe in a city that tests the meaning of loss every day.
TAA – How has living in Gaza shaped your artistic vision and the themes you explore?
LSK – Gaza does not give an artist the luxury of choice… it imposes its intuition, its wounds, its astonishment. I was never lucky enough to study fine arts as I dreamed, but I never lost hope. Life in Gaza taught me that depth is not in the color, but in the scar behind it. And a painting is not a painting unless it carries some fire within us, a bit of my children’s laughter, and a bit of a woman who loves life despite all losses.
Her Work and Message
TAA – What story do you try to tell through your artwork?
LSK – I tell what cannot be spoken… what I cannot express.
I tell the grief of mothers, the fear of homes when windows shake, the hands of children searching for another hand in the dark to feel safe.
But I also tell the story of a stubborn woman who refuses to give up… I paint to tell the world: we are not fleeting news, we are a full story seeking someone to listen.
TAA – Is there a particular artwork that feels closest to your heart? Why?
LSK – Yes… there is a painting born from my silence, not from my brushes. I painted it on the night I felt the whole world collapse over my head, when my father passed away. And as I painted, I cried without stopping. It was a desperate attempt to save what remained of me… I nearly went mad. Perhaps that is why it touches my heart every time I look at it—it mirrors my pulse as it once was: confused, yet fighting to survive.
TAA – What inspires you more: personal memories or the collective experiences of your people?
LSK – In Gaza, you cannot separate the two. My memories are the memory of others, their wounds mirror mine. What others suffer is what I suffer too. We live in one city, sharing pain as we share bread. So when I paint, I feel I paint myself… and I paint them.
TAA – What emotions do you usually experience while creating your art?
LSK – I enter a painting as one enters a private prayer. I cleanse myself with colors, carrying my fear, my longing, my anger, and a small smile belonging to the survivors.
And when I place the last color, I feel I have lifted some of the weight of the world off my heart.
TAA – Do you see your art as a form of resistance, healing, or survival?
LSK – It is resistance when I choose to tell the truth.
It is healing when I try to mend a wound no one else sees.
It is survival… because art is the only way not to die twice: once under the rubble, and once under the weight of forgetting.
Humanitarian Initiatives
TAA – Have you worked with any initiatives or fundraisers to support people in Gaza? Can you tell us about these experiences?
LSK – Yes… I have participated in many initiatives. When the war started, art was a bridge to survival. I have thousands of friends around the world who stand with me, feel my pain, and believe in me. I temporarily left art to work in humanitarian aid. I formed an incredible team. We cooked for displaced families, distributed bread, water, medicine, and essentials for children and women, tents, clothes, and food parcels, and we never stopped. We are still continuing to this day. I sold many copies of my paintings and donated the proceeds to those who lost their homes or loved ones. It was more than just helping… it was a feeling that I am not powerless, and that the art born from Gaza’s pain can still give something back… even if small.
TAA – Are you currently working on a new project? If yes, what is it about?
LSK – Yes, I have recently been working on a new art project documenting the beauty and details of Palestinian heritage. Some of my paintings were created under bombardment and siege in Gaza, while others were painted after my husband, our five children, and I survived and moved to Egypt. From a humanitarian perspective, I continue volunteering to prove to myself and the world that the resilience of my people cannot be defeated. Through this work, I try to turn the pain of the displaced into a little happiness by providing what they need, and I aim to show the world the truth so they can witness Gaza’s struggle.
Challenges and Artistic Style
TAA – What challenges do you face as a young female artist living under siege and war conditions?
LSK – The biggest challenges are the lack of safety, shortage of art materials, and difficulty moving around. As a young artist, I also face limited spaces for art, as well as the psychological pressure from repeated displacement, loss of loved ones, and traveling to a country where I know no one. Still, I draw strength from my people and my belief that art can be a means of resistance and survival.
TAA – How would you describe your artistic style? Did you study art to develop your style?
LSK – My style leans toward expressionism, mixing fine details with strong emotional intensity, sometimes using revolutionary colors—bright or dark. I did not formally study fine arts, but I trained for a long time to develop my own visual language. The conditions in Gaza played a major role in shaping the spirit of my work, making it deeply connected to women, the land, and the olive branch.
TAA – How can our readers contribute to your efforts for Gaza?
LSK – They can help by sharing my work and messages to reach as many people as possible, supporting the humanitarian initiatives I participate in, and helping Palestinian artists who have lost their tools and workspaces. Simply amplifying Gaza’s voice to the world is an important part of change. I hope to participate in more art exhibitions soon, and support from institutions aiding artists abroad can also make a difference in easing our struggles.
Art in Times of War and Global Perspective
TAA – What role do you think art plays during times of war and humanitarian crises?
LSK – Art in wartime is not a luxury. It is a testimony to the truth, a means of psychological healing, and a space to preserve collective memory. It gives people the chance to see the human behind the numbers and restores a bit of hope amidst the chaos.
TAA – If someone from outside Gaza sees your artwork, what do you hope they understand?
LSK – I hope they see the Gazan before the politics and realize that behind every painting are real people who dream, suffer, and endure. I want my message to reach them: Gaza is not just war, bombing, and destruction. It is a place full of life, culture, love, and beautiful memories—despite everything.
TAA – Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
LSK – I want to tell the world that Palestinian art will remain alive as long as there are those who hold on to hope. We paint, not only to express, but to preserve our existence.
I hope everyone around the world takes a moment to see Gaza through the eyes of the heart, not through the eyes of the news.
December 2025
Leila Salah Kassab is visual artist who expresses human stories, memory, and resilience through color and symbolism. She transforms pain into presence and beauty into a form of resistance. She has participated in numerous group and charitable art exhibitions, both inside and outside her homeland. Her work has reached an international audience, with paintings displayed in the USA, UK, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, and France. She focuses on humanitarian issues, women, memory, and resilience, turning art into a space for expression and resistance. She is an artist who walks into the world holding a book, listens to music as if it were a delayed confession, and writes poetry when her heart overflows and language offers no escape. She adores Fairuz, as her words can become paintings, and her voice resembles the homeland when it is less harsh and more truthful. Donation link for displaced people: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-laila-family-and-friends-in-gaza
Featured Image: Colors Know More than We Can Say by Leila Kassab.
Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi, her portfolio: https://tqwaportfolio-project.netlify.app/
