“The Poetry of Resistance” Mixed Mediums

Mixed mediums on canvas measuring 76x101 cm’, painted by Rana. Location Montreal, Qc.

In Rana's words: "Over the past two years, the fate of Palestinians has become catastrophic -- first in Gaza and now in the West Bank. Through these dark times, I have seen CFOS’s Board members double and triple their efforts in supporting churches and church-related organizations to peacefully but purposefully fight for my cause and for humanity. They do this work as volunteers offering countless hours of their time. To honour their strength and show my appreciation for all the incredible achievements that CFOS has done and is still doing, I offered two larger paintings to “Art as Resilience: A Silent Auction for Palestine.”

This one, entitled “The Poetry of Resistance” depicts a girl in her thobe, surrounded by symbols of Palestinian freedom. The thobe is a traditional Palestinian dress that is hand-embroidered and sometimes passed down through generations. In Palestine you can tell where a woman is from just by the embroidery of her thobe. Each area in Palestine has its own symbolism. I have started a series of many such paintings with a childlike head full of wavy hair just like my daughter’s and accompanied them with a poem that represents the resilience of women internationally through this traditional dress. In each painting, I have incorporated actual hand embroidered pieces of thobes. This fine embroidery, that almost resembles tiny beadwork, has become increasingly popular. It is a tradition protected so fiercely that even men are starting to learn this delicate art. In fact, one of my sons has started to embroider whilst no one in my family knows how. The thobe to me has become an armour of resilience and resistance.

These art pieces are meant to encourage folks just like you to keep humanity alive. You may want to bid on them as a team for your local church or bid on them for an office. Or perhaps you feel inspired to commission a more personalized piece. However you choose to participate in this auction, know that you are encouraging artists to use their talents for a humanitarian cause, and you are supporting CFOS in the amazing work it has been doing for over 25 years. "