Following her set design for London‘s Together for Palestine concert, Gazan artist Malak Mattar spoke to Dezeen about the urgency for artists, designers and architects to continue to speak out against atrocities.

“The role of a creative is to speak the truth,” Mattar told Dezeen. “And to use their mediums, materials, and education to speak out against the injustices to try and end the genocide.”

Mattar, who is a celebrated painter from Gaza, was artistic director of Together for Palestine, a benefit concert organised by musician Brian Eno that took place at Wembley Arena on 17 September to raise money for Palestinian-led charities including Taawon and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society.

“I know what it takes” to speak out

Mattar aimed to “tell the Palestinian story from different perspectives” for her set, which was designed with guidance from British designer Es Devlin.

The digital screens at the concert included paintings from Palestinian artists, including her own work. Among the paintings were the works of eight artists who have been killed in Palestine, posthumously honoured in the presentation.

For Mattar, the fundraiser demonstrated how creatives should be using their platforms to protest against the Israeli government’s offensive in Gaza, which multiple United Nations reports and leading Israel-based human rights groups, among others, have declared a genocide.

Top: photo by Burak Çıngı. Above: Malak Mattar was the artistic director of Together for Palestine. Photo by Thomas Holland

“Knowing the industry, and knowing the art world, I feel so moved when an artist comes out and says ‘free Palestine’ and ‘end the genocide’,” said Mattar.

“It moves me because I know what it takes,” she continued. “I know the sacrifice that it takes to say something that could lead to cancel culture, like being dropped by a label or having your exhibition cancelled by a gallery. You face so much for standing, but it makes a difference when you stand up for Palestine.”

Mattar cited the “many ways, shapes and forms” that creatives have taken the opportunity to speak up in support of the Palestinian people at scrutinised global industry events, including the 2024 Venice Art Biennale.

Universities must “make a statement”

The artist was one of thousands who boycotted the presence of the Israeli pavilion at the event as part of the collective Art Not Genocide Alliance. The organisation is currently campaigning against the pavilion’s proposed presence at the 2026 art biennale.

Mattar explained that she believes that the idea of such boycotts is to raise awareness of what is happening in Gaza and ensure that “genocide has to stop first, before art comes back”.

Mattar graduated from Central Saint Martins (CSM) earlier this year with a master’s in fine art. She left her home in Gaza to study in London on 6 October 2023, a day before Hamas attacked Israel.

Since then, Mattar was the first Palestinian artist to be awarded a solo show at the university, which took place in May. Despite the success of the exhibition, Mattar and her peers were infuriated by CSM’s decision not to speak out against Israel’s bombardment.

“It was an absolutely shocking response from the school,” said Mattar, who remains in close contact with her former course leaders, tutors and classmates.

“It was the management,” she explained. “They said that they will not condemn the genocide, they will not make a statement. They’re not ‘taking any sides’.”

She called for universities to take clear stances on their political positions and do more to represent the voices of their students.

“For me, as someone who had just made a statement about my loss and the people I’ve lost, it was then met with a very cold ‘no’, no political stance with Palestine,” Mattar said.

“So part of me is indeed grateful for the solo show, because it made me make the statement on behalf of the school. But part of me has been incredibly traumatised by this.”

Mattar also believes universities have a responsibility to call for the protection and preservation of Palestinian art, architecture and design.

“As an artist, I expect an art school to acknowledge the loss of art and culture – in any country, in any land,” she explained.

“[Gaza is home to] some of the oldest churches in the world, the oldest museums, the oldest mosaics. Around 80 per cent of all the cultural heritage and institutions have been erased by Israel.”

“So why not say something to condemn the targeting of art?” she continued. “If you don’t think humans are valuable, what about the art and culture that you promote?”

Mattar said that she and her fellow former students campaigned for the end of CSM partnerships with Israeli institutions and connected independent investments, to no avail.

“So art schools are not really non-political,” she observed. “They are very political.”

“My mission now is to resist the silence, to resist the complicity of genocide,” added the artist.

Mattar’s and her colleagues’ paintings were projected onto a large screen. Photo by Chloe Hashemi

Following Together for Palestine, which has raised almost £2 million, Mattar stressed the importance of not losing momentum and urged multidisciplinary creatives to continue to amplify the voices of Palestinians.

“These artists have real influence,” reflected Mattar. “They have the power to change minds and opinions. Your opinion matters. Your action matters. And we cannot afford anyone giving up.”

Israel and Hamas have recently agreed the first phase of a peace process, which would see the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and aid being allowed into Gaza.

According to the latest figures from Gaza’s health ministry, over 67,000 Palestinians have died in Israel’s most recent military campaign, launched in response to Hamas’s 7 October attacks.

Several UN reports have found Israel’s methods of warfare to be “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”. Two leading human rights groups based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, have also said that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and that the USA and European countries have a legal and moral duty to stop this from happening.

Israel denies it is committing genocide and is fighting the allegations at the International Court of Justice, which last January ordered the country to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and later issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

The portrait is courtesy of Malak Mattar and the rest of the images are courtesy of Together for Palestine.

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