October 7 is a date that changedMaisara Barouds life.
Baroud’s war drawings, which he publishes onInstagram, are all entitledI’m Still Alive.
Baroud’s personal vision of war is one of a man trying to help his family live another day.
Organized by thePalestinian Museum US, the show runs until November 24, 2024. yo read on for My Modern Met’s exclusive interview.
When and why did you start your daily sketches?
For several years, I have been keeping a diary by drawing in special sketchbooks.
How has their meaning changed for you since October 7?
The October 7 Warthe occupationkilled all of our dreams and left nothing with its planes and missiles.
However, I made sure to maintain my daily drawing habit and publish whenever the opportunity arose.
Has creating these drawings been therapeutic for you?
I know that your studio and home have been destroyed.
Can you describe your living situation a bit?
Since October 7, everything has changed.
On the second day of the war, planes destroyed my office.
On the third day, they destroyed my house and my studio.
All the plans you made for your future and the future of your children change in an instant.
Based on the instructions of the Israeli occupying army, I was forced to leave Gaza.
Eight difficult months have passed, and we are still experiencing moments of tragedy every hour.
Sickness and disease are spreading rampantly, and medicine is not available.
What do you think is the most common misconception people have of what is happening in Gaza right now?
What is happening in Gaza is part of what is happening in all of Palestine.
What is happening in Gaza is a rolling and terrifying war of annihilation.
What is happening in Gaza is a decision to kill, exile, and destroy an entire people.
What is happening in Gaza is an extension of what has been happening for the 76 years since theNakba.
What do you hope that the outside world takes away by looking at your art?
I hope that the world sees the truth as it is, not as the occupation promotes it.
Perhaps this is what I attempt to express in my daily drawings as a witness to the massacre.
Maisara Baroud:Instagram
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