Visual Narratives of Resistance: Graphic Design and the Palestinian Movement

This lecture introduces pioneer designers and influential publications that centred around communicating the Palestinian struggle between the 1970s and 1990s.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, graphic design emerged as a pivotal tool for the Palestinian political struggle, employed effectively by the political left to communicate and garner support both locally and internationally. Posters, publications, and logos designed during this era not only conveyed political and cultural narratives of resistance and identity but also established a visual language of solidarity and activism recognized globally. In this lecture, graphic designers, researchers, and educators Ghalia Elsrakbi and Engy Aly present two interconnected sessions.

Ghalia Elsrakbi explores the contributions of pioneering Arab and Palestinian designers, showcasing their political cultural production through various prints and publications that have highlighted different forms of resistance between the 1970s and the 1990s.

Following this, Engy Aly discusses the works of Dar Al-Fata Al-Arabi an experimental and progressive publishing house of children’s books based in Beirut, Lebanon, and Cairo, Egypt, that involved a roster of influential Arab writers, poets, artists, and illustrators dedicated to amplifying the Palestinian cause.

Language: English with close captions

This event will be co-moderated with Randa Hadi (she/her), a Kuwaiti designer, researcher, and educator interested in (re)thinking archives as a space to dream and imagine better futures.

Ghalia Elsrakbi (she/her) is a Syrian designer and researcher. She is a professor of graphic design at the American University of Cairo, Egypt, and co-founder of Foundland Collective, an art and design research practice based between Cairo and Amsterdam. Ghalia is also co-founder of Cairotronica, a festival for electronic and new media arts in Cairo.

Engy Aly (she/her) is a graphic designer, researcher, curator, and the founder of Sporadic Schooling—متفرِّقات, a program of workshops, exhibitions, and discussions focusing on SWANA visual culture. She is also an adjunct professor at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.

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