We are still here

"We are still here" is an A3 watercolor artwork that pays tribute to the courage, resilience, and unwavering voice of Bisan Owda, a Palestinian journalist whose work documenting the genocide happened in Gaza has a profound impact. The artwork honors Bisan's bravery in telling the truth, even when surrounded by devastation. The Watercolour medium was chosen to represents the fluid and unpredictable nature of life, and the way disaster can wash over a landscape, blurring the lines between safety and danger.

The color palett mostly consists of shades of green, red and gray. Green is used as an undertone symbolizing the deeprooted connection Palestinians have to their land and the persistent foundation of life and heritage that destruction cannot fully erase. Green also symbolizes renewal, and the persistence of hope, qualities that are seen through Bisan Owda's jornalist work. Red is used in the sky as an expression of the constant danger, deaths, and the chaos and instability that hangs over Gaza. The red sprinkles dispersed across the painting symbolise the scattered traces of lives that were interrupted due to the genocide.

In the left side of the background, a destroyed building emphasises the war-torn setting. It serves not only as a literal representation of physical destruction but also as a metaphor for disrupted futures and fractured communities. There is also a Kaffan, a white fabric used to wrap the deceased. From below the Kaffan a lone hand reaches out, a symbol of universal plea for acknowledgment and for peace. It represents the countless individuals affected by conflict who are often reduced to traces, objects, or fleeting glimpses within a shattered landscape.

The right foreground there is the decapitated head of a young girl wearing a red hijab, accompanied by a white cat. The figure symbolizes the cost of violence, particularly on children. The white cat beside her represents purity, vulnerability, and the quiet witnesses of war, creatures and lives disrupted without understanding why. Standing in the centre Bisan presents a posture of defiance and determination. Directly behind her isthe Palestine flag, a silent yet powerful symbol of national identity, and resistance that she embodies in every broadcast. This painting recognizes the courage it takes to stand in the middle of a war zone and hold up a camera. Through this artwork, I hope viewers feel the pain, and the unyielding strength that defines Bisan Owda's story