Displaced Gaza teen uses art to preserve memories of war

For 18-year-old Raneem Nasser, art has become a way to document memories of war and cope with the emotional impact of displacement.

Living in a tent in Deir al-Balah after being displaced from Beit Hanoun, the young Palestinian has turned part of her temporary shelter into an artist's studio and exhibition space filled with paintings inspired by her experiences during the conflict.

Many of her works focus on moments she says remain difficult to forget.

“I am currently drawing the story of my first displacement. This story is the most expressive for me. Whenever I draw a painting, I go back and recall the memories, and I cry," she said.

Nasser explained that she only began drawing during the war, using art as a response to the hardship around her.

“What taught me to draw were the situations I went through during the war. I started drawing during the war, especially during the famine period. Those days were very difficult; everything around me was filled with fear, destruction, and hunger, and the psychological pressure was immense," she said.

As a final-year high school student, she said uncertainty about education added to the pressure.

"Since I was in my final year of high school, we didn’t know whether we should study or not, and it was extremely hard. The first time I started drawing was in my math notebook, and I used to draw over the writing," she explained.

Today, her tent walls are covered with paintings that reflect both painful memories and hopes for the future.

“I try to offer people a glimpse of hope—that there are those who have lived through so much and witnessed many forms of destruction and other hardships. I created this space filled with colours to be a place that gives us a sense of hope and optimism, encouraging us to continue living," she added.

Nasser said painting has also helped her manage the emotional strain of displacement.

"When I sit and reflect on what is around me, I recall painful and sad memories, and seeing the reality we live in increases the feeling of depression. Therefore, drawing has helped me a lot in releasing all this energy and negative emotions, and it has had a significant impact in easing what I feel," she went on.

Despite limited resources and difficult living conditions, she continues to create new work.

“The tent I live in, I have turned part of it into a painting exhibition to give me a sense of hope and optimism,” she said. "A tent is not a place meant for living at all, and even when I sit to draw inside it, I cannot bear the intense heat, especially in summer."

Nasser also noted a severe shortage of art supplies, making it harder to continue her work.