< Lady of the Land >

Lady of the Land reflects on the Nakba and the continuing Palestinian experience of displacement, loss, and belonging. The faceless female figure represents a collective Palestinian identity, while the surrounding imagery of homes and keys evokes the villages left behind, the loss of place, and the enduring right of return. The key functions as both a symbol of dispossession and a promise of return, carrying the memory of homes that remain present across generations even when they no longer exist or cannot be reached. By leaving the woman faceless, the work moves beyond an individual portrait to embody the many Palestinian women and families whose identities and histories have been shaped by displacement. The painting brings together body, home, and memory as symbols of a homeland that continues to exist through remembrance and inherited belonging.