Gaza artist beats Israel blockade by staying 'creative'
Date
4/22/2016 12:27:20 PM
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) >The tough life in the blockaded Gaza Strip has not blocked a Palestinian artist from staying creative by any means necessary.
Ahmed al-Sahhar 27 has found a way to produce colors using local materials. The idea came to him as he was looking for alternatives to imported colors prices of which have skyrocketed in recent years because of the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
“My first experience in the colors industry was in 2011” he told Anadolu Agency. “I produced a small amount that I used in one of my portraits. I then asked a number of artists to use them.”
The young artist who is studying Arts Education at al-Aqsa University in Gaza depended largely on information he found online to learn how to make colors.
“It was not a totally successful experience but in 2014 I improved the quality of the product and started marketing it despite the lack of basic materials” he added.
Al-Sahhar produces 13 main colors and over 30 sub-color tones including gouache watercolors and others that can be used to paint on glass.
He sells around 500 boxes a month and expects to increase his production to at least 1000 after receiving financial support from an entrepreneurs support program sponsored by the Islamic University of Gaza.
Since Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006 Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip creating difficult economic and humanitarian conditions for many of the territory’s roughly 1.9 million inhabitants.
By Hedaya al-Saeedi
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