Samia Halaby: Following Exhibition Cancellations to Global Recognition

It felt like a near wonder to walk away from a conversation with the Palestinian artist perfectly fine. Not merely due to the rickety wooden stairs leading to her Tribeca-based studio, but because certain parties consider the 88-year-old abstract innovator as a potential security risk.

Exhibition Cancellations

In late 2023, Halaby’s alma mater scrapped what was scheduled as the premier American exhibition of Halaby’s work. The retrospective had been three years in preparation, yet Halaby was told via a curt two-sentence letter from the institution’s leader citing vague security concerns. She believes the true motive was the museum’s desire to avoid association from support for Palestine after the events of October 7.

Subsequently, Michigan State University suddenly scrapped the opening reception for one of her solo shows and took down a painting titled Heroes in Gold, which referred to the breakout of inmates.

Award and Recognition

Recently, in the aftermath of experiencing suppression, Halaby is being honored with the prestigious Munch Prize for creative expression. Does this feel like justification?

Hardly, Halaby remarks over tea. It’s more like division. The people who were always supportive kept that way. Nobody has shifted, all parties has intensified their stance.”

Halaby stresses that it was not the students that rejected her, but the officials—likely guided by official policies. In the previous administration, pro-Palestinian speech on college grounds faced serious suppression.

Still, she is genuinely thrilled to receive the prize, especially since it is issued by Norway—a country recognized for its historic solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.

“The British we can separate into the courageous activists carrying signs leading to their arrest, and the officials.”

On Displacement and Identity

Hailing from historic Palestine in the pre-war era, Halaby was displaced to Beirut during the catastrophe of 1948. Although she has visited her birthplace on several occasions, she cannot live there again due to Israeli policies.

“I would have to be on a temporary permit,” the artist says, “and I’d be at the mercy of the state. They could withdraw it without warning.”

A Disciplined Approach

In place of creating art from pure emotion, Halaby treats art as a craft grounded in optics and method. I research the physics of illumination, the physiology of the eye,” Halaby affirms. Individuals who think art is merely self-expression are mistaken.”

She believes that viewers connect with her abstract works because they see the environment they inhabit reflected in them.

On Politics and Perspective

When asked about modern influential people and artistic liberty, the artist recommends thinking on a broader scale:

“If you examine centuries of global developments, one understands that a figure such as Trump is similar to a fly on a large animal. It hurts—since that creature is on top of us making a mess. Yet it’s a big world we live in.”

Regardless of setbacks, she remains forward-looking, focused on her craft and the enduring importance of artistic freedom in a ever-changing world.