Upbringing & Influence
Sliman Mansour’s art has epitomized the beauty and struggle of Palestinian life. Born in 1947 in the town of Birzeit, he grew up in Bethlehem and Jerusalem at the dawn of the occupation. His childhood experiences left a significant mark on his work, heightening a sense of gradual loss in Palestine.
His art reflects the hopes and realities of Palestinians who have lived under occupation for the better part of a century. Since the early 1970s, he has translated his experiences of isolation, displacement, community, and rootedness using imagery and symbols that have contributed to the development of an iconography of the Palestinian struggle.
Symbolism of Palestinian Resistance
With women wearing traditional embroidered dresses, he represents the Palestinian land and the Palestinian revolution. With images of Jerusalem and the glistening Dome of the Rock, he represents the Palestinian homeland and the dream of return. Such images were popularized in direct defiance of Israeli military authorities, who frequently confiscated Palestinian artwork, posters, flags, and closed exhibitions and galleries.
After the first intifada, Sliman Mansour, together with fellow Palestinian artists, founded the New Visions movement in 1987, calling on artists to boycott Israeli art supplies and instead use local natural materials such as coffee, henna, clay… Mud was the tool of choice for Mansour. Until today, every pigment of his art expresses some kind of resistance.
Sliman Mansour & the Hirbawi New Logo
For the next month, Sliman Mansour has kindly agreed to help us at Hirbawi choose a new brand logo designed by our community members, as a symbol of the Palestinian kufiya and its last producer in Palestine. After speaking with Mansour, he agreed to advise on selecting the new logo for Hirbawi.
Many of you who have already submitted incredible sketches and drawings will have your art examined and studied by Mansour in December.
Help us protect Palestinian culture and the symbol of our national heritage through the design of our new logo. We will post many of our favourite submissions on our Instagram @Hirbawi.
We can’t wait to see where this artistic journey takes us 🙂
