The Camp No.2 by Alaa Albaba

The Camp No.2 by Alaa Albaba.: Alaa Albaba’s work focuses on the daily life in Palestinian refugee camps, through which he reconstructs the camp, using vibrant colors that reflect his imagination, insight, and experience. Albaba uses different techniques and materials in his paintings. He produced several surreal and expressionism artworks where he relies on research and experimentation, focusing on the densely populated camps through various comparisons and approaches. He draws attention to the contradictions between the fixed nature of the refugee camps‘ structure, with their modern everchanging urban surroundings. Albaba explores different sociopolitical issues focusing on his relationship with the refugee camp and how it managed to preserve its political identity and form throughout the years.

Born in Jerusalem in 1985, Alaa Albaba studied at the Visual Arts Forum between 2008 and 2010. In 2015 he obtained his bachelor’s degree at the International Academy of Contemporary Art Palestine. He participated in many art exhibitions in Palestine and abroad. His most prominent project is The Fish Path (2015 – 2017), starting from Al-Nabi Saleh Village to Al-Amari Refugee Camp, the artist created 18 murals throughout Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan, focusing on painting fish as a symbol of Palestinian refugees who are longing to return to their villages by the sea. In 2015, Albaba also obtained an art residency in Beirut at the Al-Jana Foundation for Arts and Culture.