Maisara says: "The occupation has destroyed everything that was beautiful in my small city, entangling everything in a distorted memory beneath the rubble. Like many others, I was driven from Gaza City for the fifteenth time to the far south. I lost everything I owned: my office, my house, my studio, all my artworks, tools, books, and belongings. The planes and rockets have devastated all my dreams and possessions, but they could not destroy my passion and love for painting. I still draw every day, and I will continue to do so, to convey a message that defies death, destruction, and the machinery of murder.

This message has broken through the siege, the barriers, and the borders. I count to let it be known that I am still alive.”

The series I'm still alive now consists of more than 600 drawings. A selection of these will be on display during Into The Great Wide Open in Vlieland.

Maisara Baroud’s (Gaza 1976) artworks are imbued with emotions that range from sadness, sorrow, and violence to ideas of peace, hope, and freedom. Maisara aims to depict a life interwoven with continuous cycles of both death and survival. His artistic practice is an expression of the universal struggle faced by people worldwide, with a particular focus on the suffering of the Palestinians. His works delve deeper into themes such as wars, immigration, political prisoners, and unlawful detention.