Ramallah museum hosts Turkish artist's Gaza loss exhibition

Turkish artist A. Yusuf Aygec will present a solo exhibition at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah examining the psychological toll of displacement and loss in Gaza, with the collection set to open on July 26 and run through August 2.

Exhibition details and symbolism

Titled “Posters to the Olive Tree of Exile,” the exhibition is supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and curated by Samed Karagoz, bringing together drawings that explore themes of exile, mourning and resistance through personal and collective memory. The works eschew direct depictions of violence in favor of examining the emotional impact of displacement, using the olive tree as a recurring motif representing endurance and rootedness in Palestinian history.

Art as witness

Organizers stated that the exhibition functions as a form of witnessing and preserving memory during conflict, arguing that the drawings serve as a visual archive against erasure. Several pieces reference the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, the celebrated Palestinian writer after whom the museum is named, creating a dialogue between visual art and literary explorations of exile and homeland.

Touring exhibition

The collection previously debuted at London’s P21 Gallery before traveling to Konya in Türkiye as part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Youth Capital events. The Ramallah opening is scheduled for 2 pm local time on July 26.