Art / February 27, 2024

The palestinian kid sitting on the wreckage

O menino palestino sentado sobre os escombros. Óleo sobre tela. The palestinian kid sitting on the debris. Oil on canvas.

The palestinian kid sitting on the wreckage is a painting that I created based on a photo that I saw on internet and I immediately decided to paint.

The palestinian issue has always touched me. When I saw the photo taken by the palestinian photohournalist Hani Alshaer, I felt that I should show this child to the world. The palestinian kid lives in Gaza and, after I started painting him, I wonder every day if he's still alive.

O menino palestino olha, desolado, para seu gatinho morto pelas bombas de Israel. The palestinian kid is devastated looking at his kitty who was killed by the israely bombs.

In fact there are two photos of this child, and both of them are heartbreaking. The first is represented through my painting, the only difference is that the boy is colored and the background is black and white. The second one...well...I'll let you interpretate it.

More than feeling mad about this image, it causes a deep sadness. When you look at it we believe there's no solution for humanity. However, we can't stop believing because there are still people alive. We're not allowed of not talking about their stories.They need us together to create a better world for them. Print do meu compartilhamento do story no qual Hani falou de mimPrint of my shared story where Hani spoke about me

I contacted Hani and I asked if I could paint his photo. I never imagined that I would receive an answer, but he saw my message and, through Google Translate we spoke in Arabic and he shared me painting the palestinian kid with his 80 thousand followers, saying that a Brazilian artist was painting one of his images. I cried like a baby when I saw what he said.

I finished this piece on January 9th 2024, and I made the background black and white to create a contrast of a kid on a gray ambiance. It's disturbing. No one should live like that, especially when you're a kid. I have a daughter and I believe that this little boy should have the same quality of life that my little one does. Not just them, but all the creatures. That's the world I believe in and that's why I create my artwork.

Right now this painting is exposed at Noyes Art Gallery, in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. It's by my Sônia Guajajara painting, that I created before. My art is political, and it's through it that I want people to see those who are invisible to society.

This image is not just about shocking others, but making people think about who they are voting for and which causes they deffend. The world can't be colored for some and gray for others. The palestinian kid, like all other creatures on this planet, deserve to live peacefully.