Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Karim Abu Shakra (1982-) is a Palestinian visual artist born in Umm al-Fahm . He studied in its primary and secondary schools, then moved to university to study for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2000. He is also influenced by the works of his uncle, the artist Issam Abu Shakra . His works reflect his childhood memories , which reflect his deep connection to nature and his surroundings. His drawings revolve around the sacred bond between the land of Palestine and its people. His work is deliberately directed at the Israeli viewer, emphasizing the steadfastness of Palestinian identity in the face of occupation .
His life
Karim grew up in an artistic family , inspired and encouraged by his uncle, Asem Abu Shakra, who was famous for his cactus drawings that symbolized the isolated and uprooted existence of Palestinians living in the 1984 occupied Palestine. The cactus symbolizes endurance and resilience in the Palestinian context, and the cactus became a prominent theme in the work of artist Walid Abu Shakra , born in 1946, Karim’s great uncle, and later became a kind of family heirloom, adopted by Asem and then Karim.
His drawings
His 2016-2017 paintings appear as amorphous hybrid creatures, combining animals such as horses , whales , and birds with olive branches into a single image. He aims to reflect on the relationship between man and humanity through his symbolic figures, which question the boundaries, limits, and differences within the natural world and express images imbued with a sense of nostalgia as well as a sense of hope, conveyed to the viewer through the bright color schemes and vivid, fluid images of canvases such as “Paradise 1” from 2017. Others, such as “State of Reality” from 2016, are painted in deeper, more subdued colors evoking the night and featuring dense forms that give the paintings a sense of deep melancholy.
opposition
Solo exhibitions:
Fond of colors and paintbrushes, Tamra Municipality Exhibition 2006, in Beit Al-Karma.
Black and White , Palestinian National Theatre , Jerusalem 2008-2009.
Unity of Man, Animal and Nature Gallery in Umm al-Fahm, 2015.
Self-portrait, Creativity Gallery, Kafr Yasif , occupied Palestine, 2013.
Group exhibitions:
Black Coffee , Beit Al-Karma, Haifa , 2006.
Being Born Naked, at the Deserata Gallery, Memory of the Future, Paris , 2008.
Windows for Contemporary Art in Gaza 2010.
Olives in the Fine Arts, Al-Saraya Gallery, Nazareth , 2012.
My Facial Features at a Glance, Palestinian Art Courtyard , Jerusalem, 2014.
Roots of Identity, Art On 56th, Beirut , 2016.
Source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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