The poignant brushstrokes of Maram Ali: An artistic tribute to Palestinian resistance and memory

Ever since Israel's relentless bombardment of Gaza began nearly two years ago, one Palestinian painter has consistently depicted the suffering of her people on canvas.

For Maram Ali, a Jordanian-born mother of two, she may never have visited Palestine, but still feels a sense of attachment to her country of origin.

Building a loyal community of more than 20,000 followers on Instagram, posting highly expressive portraits of killed Palestinian leaders, journalists, doctors, parents and children, her paintings are a sombre reminder that no one has been spared in Israel's brutal, ongoing genocide.  

“It’s a weird feeling," Maram tells The New Arab. "It’s a collective feeling — we love Palestine and we want to visit Palestine."

Although Maram holds a university degree in finance, she has always had an artistic side since childhood.

“I was drawing before I was writing," she recalls.

"I was exactly three years old when I started drawing. I remember this day more than yesterday or the day before,” the Irbid-based artist shares. 

Recalling her earliest artistic memories, Maram shares how she would draw her surroundings, such as the natural scenery near her home or whatever was in front of her. As she grew older and enrolled in university, Maram took painting classes on the side, experimenting with oil, acrylic, and watercolour painting.

Over the years, she has primarily employed the expressionistic style of painting, characterised by bold, textured, intense, and at times blurry brushstrokes, in her works.

“I leaned into this style from a long time ago because it heightens and exaggerates feelings of a certain situation,” she explained. 

What sparked Maram to paint her series of the devastating scenes from the Gaza genocide was the bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, which occurred just ten days after the October 7 attacks in 2023 and resulted in the murder of more than 400 people who were seeking shelter in the hospital. 

"It was very difficult. When the war began, I had just given birth. I was very affected by what was happening in Gaza. Sometimes, for the sake of myself and the baby, I couldn’t watch the news," she said.

"This wasn’t a small event that lasted for a few days. Wherever you went, people were always talking about the war. You just accepted that this was reality and you had to deal with it.”  

And so, Maram dealt with the travesty by painting it.

A majority of her images are emotionally-charged, heavily-marked portraits of Palestinian victims, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes, like 10-year-old Tala Abu Ajwa, who died while wearing her pink roller skates.

She has also made works in solidarity with Syria and Lebanon during major political moments, such as the fall of Assad and the Hezbollah-Israel war.

At times, painting such heavy images was deemed too intense for the artist to finish. “It was exhausting. Energetically, I wasn’t able to deal with it,” she shares with The New Arab. 

She also hasn't shied away from portraying some of Gaza's prominent political voices, most notably the late, keffiyeh-wearing Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar.

According to Maram, his image was initially taken down by Instagram as it violated the platform's community guidelines.

“When they remove my posts, I get irritated because they are even chasing us on social media. It is our only small window to breathe and try to express ourselves,” she said. 

For the most part, Maram has received numerous positive comments on Instagram. Many from around the world have even inquired about purchasing her original pieces, which she has declined, as she has no intention of selling them for personal gain.

Instead, she shares free digital copies of her work with those who are interested in it for their own use.  

Despite facing censorship and online harassment, Maram continues to paint, where each of her works has a purpose and a story to tell.

“These are humane stories that we are seeing daily,” she said.

"These are stories of martyrs and their families, displacement, hunger, and diseases. But there is also resistance, which we believe in. I started feeling that I had to document these stories happening in Gaza because they are our stories.

"If we don’t document them, then who will? I am not saying that my works will immortalise them. But as an artist, I must do my part.”

Rawaa Talass is a freelance journalist focusing on art and culture emerging from the Middle East. Her work has been published in Art Dubai, Arab News, Al Arabiya English, Artsy, The Art Newspaper, Kayhan Life, Dubai Collection, and The National

Follow her on Instagram: @byrawaatalass