A new exhibition by Turkish artist Ahmet Yusuf Aygec, blending the experiences of Palestinians with the poetry of Palestine’s national poet Mahmoud Darwish, has opened at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Titled “Posters to the Olive Tree in Exile,” it features 20 works created with coloured pencils and soft pastels.
Curated by Samed Karagoz and supported by the Palestine office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the collection explores themes of human suffering, resistance and daily life in Palestine through visual art accompanied by verses from Darwish’s poetry.
The opening ceremony was attended by Palestinian Culture Minister Imad Hamdan, Turkish Deputy Consul General in occupied East Jerusalem Aleyna Karasac, representatives of TIKA’s Palestine office, the Yunus Emre Institute in Ramallah and members of the Palestinian arts community.
Aygec was unable to attend the opening after Israel did not grant him a visa.
Hamdan told Anadolu that the exhibition was significant because it brought Darwish’s poetry to life through the work of a Turkish artist.
He said the posters portray “messages of resistance, captivity, martyrdom and faith,” reflecting Palestinians’ attachment to their homeland “like an olive tree,” and that each work seeks to convey the Palestinian cause to the international community.
Referring to Aygec’s inability to travel to Ramallah, Hamdan said Israel did not want “a witness” to stand alongside Palestinians on their land but added that the artist’s message from Türkiye had nevertheless reached Palestine through his artwork.
