Palestinian Artist Samia Halaby: After Being Banned to International Acclaim

One could say it was a near wonder to emerge from a conversation with Samia Halaby without incident. Not just due to the steep wooden stairs leading to her Manhattan studio, but because many regard the 88-year-old digital art pioneer as a potential liability.

Exhibition Cancellations

In late 2023, Indiana University canceled what was meant to be the first major US retrospective of Halaby’s work. The retrospective had been a long time in development, yet Halaby was informed via a brief abrupt message from the museum director citing unspecified safety issues. Halaby suspects the true motive was the gallery’s attempt to avoid association from support for Palestine after the events of October 7.

Months later, another US university called off without notice the exhibition premiere for another exhibitions and took down a painting titled Heroes in Gold, which highlighted the breakout of inmates.

Award and Recognition

Now, after being censored, Halaby is awarded the prestigious Munch Prize for creative expression. Is this redemption?

Hardly, Halaby remarks over tea. “This is polarization. Those who were always supportive stayed that way. No one has shifted, each side has intensified their stance.”

She emphasizes that it was not the academic community that cancelled her, but the administration—perhaps influenced by political directives. During the recent years, advocacy on universities faced serious suppression.

Even so, she is genuinely thrilled to receive the award, especially since it originates in Norway—a government known for its longstanding sympathy with the Palestinian struggle.

“The British one can split into the beautiful people carrying signs that get them arrested, and the government.”

On Displacement and Identity

Born in Jerusalem in 1936, she fled to another country during the war of independence. Though she has visited her family home repeatedly, Halaby is unable to live there again due to legal barriers.

It would require to be on a visa,” Halaby notes, “and I’d be at the whim of the authorities. It’s possible they might revoke it whenever they choose.”

The Science Behind the Art

In place of working from pure emotion, the artist approaches art as a skilled practice based on science and method. I learn the behavior of color, the how vision works,” she states. People that think art is only personal release are mistaken.”

The artist argues that audiences connect with her abstract works because they recognize the environment they live in reflected in them.

Seeing the Big Picture

Regarding contemporary political figures and free speech, the artist recommends thinking on a broader scale:

“When one examine a long span of history, it becomes clear that an individual akin to a controversial president is similar to a pest on a large animal. We suffer—since that creature is above us making a mess. But it’s a big world we are part of.”

In spite of obstacles, she remains forward-looking, focused on her craft and the lasting value of free speech in a ever-changing world.