Palestinian Artist Samia Halaby: From Censorship to International Acclaim

It felt like a stroke of luck to come out from a conversation with Samia Halaby without incident. Not just due to the steep wooden stairs leading to her Manhattan studio, but because certain parties consider the veteran digital art pioneer as a potential security risk.

Retrospective Ban

In late 2023, a major US university canceled what was scheduled as the first major US retrospective of Halaby’s work. The retrospective had been multiple years in development, yet the artist was told via a terse two-sentence letter from the gallery head citing unspecified security concerns. Halaby suspects the true motive was the gallery’s attempt to avoid association from pro-Palestinian voices in the wake of the events of October 7.

Almost a year afterward, another US university called off without notice the launch party for another exhibitions and removed a artwork titled Golden Six Heroes, which referred to the flight of detainees.

Honors Amid Controversy

Recently, in the aftermath of experiencing suppression, Halaby is set to receive the international art accolade for creative expression. Does this feel like justification?

Hardly, the artist notes during our conversation. “This is a split. Individuals who were on the right side stayed that way. No one has changed, all parties has grown more radical.”

Halaby stresses that it was not the university that rejected her, but the officials—perhaps influenced by official policies. In the previous administration, activism on universities faced serious suppression.

Nevertheless, the artist is deeply honored to accept the award, particularly since it originates in Norway—a nation recognized for its historic solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

“The British you may split into the admirable citizens carrying signs that get them arrested, and the government.”

Exile and Belonging

Hailing from Palestine in the pre-war era, the artist was displaced to Beirut during the 1948 Nakba. Although she has seen her family home multiple times, Halaby cannot live there again due to legal barriers.

To do so, I’d need to be on a guest status,” she explains, “making me at the discretion of the Israeli government. There’s always a chance they’d cancel it whenever they choose.”

A Disciplined Approach

In place of working from inner turmoil, the artist approaches art as a skilled practice rooted in physics and method. I learn the science of light, the how vision works,” the artist explains. People that think art is merely self-expression are incorrect.”

The artist argues that people appreciate her pieces because they see the reality they live in reflected in them.

On Politics and Perspective

Regarding modern world leaders and artistic liberty, she recommends thinking on a grander scale:

“Should you examine 200 years of global developments, you realize that a figure such as a controversial president is similar to a fly on a camel’s back. There is pain—since that creature is in control defecating. Yet it’s a big world we live in.”

Regardless of challenges, the artist remains forward-looking, devoted to her craft and the powerful role of creative expression in a ever-changing world.