Hamada Elkept

Hamada Elkept is an artist from Gaza who left just before October 2023 but has family still left in the Strip. He had gone to pursue an art scholarship in Belgium.

“I grew up in an artistic family, some of whom were experts of Arabic calligraphy, drawing, design, hand-weaving, photography, and montage… Before the war, the house was filled with warmth. We had two stores house, one for paint and building tools and the other for living, a beautiful house with a large garden, and my cat, Tota, who was the life of the house.”

However, their family home was destroyed during the genocide and his family was forced to live in tents. His studio was also destroyed along with his artwork.

“I make art in order to stay alive and so that war does not make me forget the meaning of humanity.”