“I wished I was a bird that could carry its home on its shoulder”.

Art and collage

Maysa Yousef is also that bird. Her artwork reflects not only loss, but also desire and dream. In Lewis Carroll's story, a Red Queen has only one way to solve problems: to eliminate the Other. Alice in Palestine manages to get out of the box that is too big or too small for her and runs toward freedom: "Wonderland", advancing on something she doesn't quite know what it is or how to react, but she finds a way to do it. Alice says, "What a poor memory that only works backwards", and “I’m not crazy, my reality is just different yours”.

"I worked about what my ancestors lived, what I lived, and what my children are living now, occupation, prisoners, siege freedom, war, loss. Alice in Palestine expressed me and my feelings in the desire to fly, fall, escape, change reality, summarized the details of my life in twenty artworks."

Her contemporary works belong to magical realism, says Maysa, through her own unique collage style. She uses a variety of environmental materials in the context in which she lives (cardboard, newspapers, colored fabric, threads, spices, pieces of leather, wood, and dried tree leaves). With thread and a needle, she fixes the materials to the surface of the painting. Collage is also a way of bringing together fragments of life, culture, history, and dreams in a home: her art.

Letters to heaven

Represent the feelings of children, who are the most invisible to those on the outside, and who obviously suffer the most when they should just be playing and dreaming. The children drew distinctive artistic paintings and also wrote letters to important people they lost in their lives, they also write dreams, wishes for the future. Maysa was working on that special project with children she called "Letters to Heaven", with the support of Hope and Play Association. The children's letters have been translated into English, Italian and other languages ​​in the near future. An exhibition of Letters to heaven was held in Italy with the support of the Palestinian Rights Association in Italy.

“Sometimes the support is not enough and there are no materials and colors in the markets, but we continued to draw. I also respected their wishes and participated with them in every step I took. They helped me collect the remains of my paints from under the rubble and prepare the place so they feel it is their second home”.

The dream

As a Palestinian artist, I have spent my life from childhood to this day under occupation, killing, displacement, destruction, detention, blood, martyrs, wounded, siege, bombing, etc. Before, I had many hopes and ambitions. I wished to be a bird flying freely and singing happily, moving from one country to another, breathing freedom. I strongly desired to open my own store with my artwork as I do in international stores, printing my artwork in different ways. I also wanted to study art therapy and prepare Alice in Palestine II exhibition.

Now, my hopes and dreams have changed. My only dream is to survive, my family, my own homeland, extermination attempts, and my only hope is to live in peace.

I am not a growing number. I am a human being with a story and a message.

I am not anonymous.  I am Palestinian.