Today is my birthday. As those close to me celebrate life, I want to direct your attention to my one wish for today. The lives of Palestinians have been threatened for over 77 years, and no Gazzan’s life is guaranteed. I call for help from anyone willing and able to, in the form of donations and education. The people I highlight today in this art piece are ones that have represented resistance, resilience and hope to me. But they aren’t enough, it will never be enough until the aid blockade is lifted and Palestine is free.
The GoFundMes of the lives I have chosen to put forth will be linked in my bio — they are people who love and grieve just like you. As well as educational texts, and a document of resources my friend has made with generally important literature and media to educate yourself in a sustainable way, because this does not stop at Palestine.
Say their names: Abdullah, Nessma, Laila, Jude and Mohammed
No eyes must leave Palestine, while I get to hold the people I love, no life in Gaza is safe.
Filmed by: @abbyaallonen
Music composed and played by: @weyyinlin
Art by: @aisesosa
Model: @aisesosa
Creative concept and directed by: @aisesosa
Hope
50x50
Pencil and watercolor on paper
06-2025
In this piece, the faces of my sister and me are woven into one — a reflection of how alike we were as children, almost indistinguishable in our innocence. Above us blooms an orchid, our grandfather’s favorite flower, which came to symbolize the heart of our family. He was always our source of hope — the reminder that, at the end of the day, life would be okay eventually.
The orchid carries a deeper truth — a reference to the idea that hope is the one force more powerful than fear. As children, untouched by the weight of fear, we lived only in hope and in the dreams that bloomed so freely beneath its light.
