Diaries From Gaza - Sohail Salem (Zitto Editions)

Sohail Salem’s drawings are traces of a journey marked by violence, forced displacement, arrest and torture. Falling free, but creating anyway. 

‘Every day, a story or tale inspires me to create one or more drawings. […] My first drawing was of a violet flower, and I asked the kind fairy to transform it into a rose. Courageously, it did something its violet sisters didn’t dare to do, inspired by the story of the ambitious violet by Khalil Gibran. It’s the violet that didn’t pay attention to disappointment or fear.

Filled with light that doesn’t fade, despite the constant noise of airplanes in Gaza’s sky and the explosions that cause me headaches and loss of focus, sometimes even temporary memory loss. With my trembling hands, I try to draw without hesitation and share my sketches on social media whenever I can. The cold blue page started to catch fire as it grew hotter with the interactions from my friends. My drawings are a message to the world, a call for help.’