Laila Shawa (4 April 1940–24 October 2022), a Palestinian visual artist whose work has been described as a personal reflection concerning the politics of her country, particularly highlighting perceived injustices and persecution. She was one of the most prominent and prolific artists of the Arabic revolutionary contemporary art scene.
As a Palestinian living in the Gaza Strip for her formative years and the daughter of Rashad Al Shawa, activist and mayor of Gaza City, Shawa’s revolutionary mindset was inculcated at a young age. Often her artwork, which included paintings, sculptures, and installations, worked with photographs that served 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.
Early Life
Laila Shawa was born on 4 April 1940 in Gaza, Mandatory Palestine, eight years prior to the 1948 Nakhba. Shawa was well educated; she attended boarding school at the Leonardo da Vinci Art Institute in Cairo from 1957 to 1958, then went to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma in Rome from 1958 to 1964, while also studying during the summers at the School of Seeing in Salzburg, Austria.
In 1965, after finishing her schooling, Shawa returned to Gaza and directed arts and crafts classes in several refugee camp She then continued to teach an art class for a year with UNESCO’s education program. 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. Unfortunately, the centre 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, 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. 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 incorporated significant cultural and ideological elements.
Shawa’s first show outside of the Middle East, Women and Magic, was in London in 1992. She did not begin to find international acclaim until 1994, when she collaborated with Mona Hatoum and Balqees Fakhro in a show titled Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC.
One of Laila Shawa’s most well-known works in the 21st century is “Walls of Gaza III, Fashionista Terrorista” (2010). This striking screen print is based on Shawa’s own photographs and is emblematic of her bold critique of both Western appropriation and the ongoing Palestinian struggle. The image features garments such as a keffiyeh (scarf) and a sweater—items traditionally associated with Palestinian identity and resistance—adorned with a Swarovski crystal patch reading “New York.” The juxtaposition of these symbols comments on how elements of Arab resistance have been commodified and transformed into superficial fashion statements in the West, stripping them of their original political and cultural context.
This theme of appropriation, identity, and struggle continued in Shawa’s 2012 solo exhibition at October Gallery in London, titled “The Other Side of Paradise.” In this body of work, Shawa explored the complex and often disturbing motivations behind martyrdom, particularly among young Palestinian women. The exhibition featured manipulated images of female suicide bombers, layered with digital patterning, veils, and bright colors. About the show, Shawa stated:
“I want people to confront the image of the martyr, to ask themselves what would make a young girl take such an action. It is not glorification, it is interrogation.”
The exhibition aimed to push viewers to think beyond the headlines and stereotypes, and to reflect on the conditions that drive individuals to such extreme acts—particularly in contexts of occupation, oppression, and political violence. Through her art, Shawa consistently challenged viewers to question the narratives presented in both the East and West, and to reconsider the ways in which symbols, identities, and histories are manipulated.
