Ibrahim Alazza

 All That Remains, 2020/2021

 My work focuses on Palestine because I believe creative expressions have the power to inspire social change. I want to contribute to the voices speaking out against injustice and oppression worldwide. I try to incorporate everyday objects into my work by using them differently from their intended purpose. When it comes to form-making, I either create functional use by recycling old items or create a narrative using everyday materials. I also create fragile pieces using heavy materials, such as tiles and cement, that typically symbolize construction, building, and growth to challenge society’s perceptions of such materials. My work visualizes Palestinian collective memory by drawing on symbols like the Kuffyia, which have been important aspects of the Palestinian narrative. The map of historic Palestine is prevalent in many of my works because it remains an idea that many hold dear to their hearts. In this project, I redesigned the shapes of the original Kuffyia. I replaced the fishing net with the map of historic Palestine and the waves with barbed wires, widely used in the occupied Palestinian territories to restrict Palestinian movement. I use the redesigned Kuffyia to tell the story of Palestinian refugees.