"Establish our own discourse. Theirs is rotten. We don't need it." That's Samia Halaby — Palestinian abstract painter, scholar, activist, and at 89, one of the most vital voices in contemporary art — speaking directly to the next generation of Palestinian artists. In today’s episode, Tala sits down with Samia for a wide-ranging conversation that spans childhood in Jerusalem, decades of painting and teaching, and a career defined as much by what the art world tried to suppress as by what it eventually had to celebrate. Born in 1936 during the Arab Revolt in Palestine, Samia was displaced with her family at age 11 during the 1948 Nakba. Those first 11 years — absorbed visually, intensely, synesthetically — became the foundation for a lifetime of looking. Samia describes how as a child she assigned colors and shapes to sounds and how her grandmother's apple-seed recipe came to symbolize everything lost in 1948. The episode moves through her development as a painter, her rejection of "self-expression" as a capitalist myth, her conviction that abstraction is a tool for understanding reality rather than decorating it, and the way she was backed into becoming an artist at her mother's encouragement. She discusses her landmark work on the Kafr Qasem massacre — a book of documentary drawings now published in Arabic — and the very different choice she made with Massacre of the Innocents (2024), an abstract response to Gaza where documentation wasn't needed because the world was already watching. Tala and Samia also discuss the censorship that defined recent years: Indiana University's cancellation of her retrospective in December 2023, Michigan State's removal of Six Golden Heroes in 2024, and what she learned about institutional cowardice and the differences between administrations, professors, and students. As she puts it: "They handed me proof everlasting that they're racist." This episode is hosted and produced by Tala Elissa. Our associate producer is Zeena Shehadeh. Executive producer is Zina Jardaneh. Social media by Rajae Shehadeh. Research and copywriting by Dima Sharif. Branding by Sara Sukhun. Theme music includes excerpts from Clarissa Bitar, The Popular Art Centre - مركز الفن الشعبي & Rim Banna. Intro music by Terez Sliman. The episode was recorded on May 28th, 2026. Watch the episode on YouTube here. Tarwida is a series of conversations that bring Palestinian arts, culture, and heritage to the forefront. We hear from artists, including writers, filmmakers, musicians, architects, and more, about their very own Palestine. In a nutshell, if you want to know more about (Creative) Palestine, this is the place to be. Follow us on socials @tarwidapodcast -- Relevant links & resources: Read more about Samia Halaby Follow Samia Halaby Read her book, Drawing the Kafr Qasem Massacre Samia Halaby wins Munch Award for Artistic Freedom (2025) "We Refused" exhibition — Doha/Antwerp Read more about the Kafr Qasem massacre Learn more about Vera Tamari Learn more about Mona Saudi Learn more about Rima Nasir Tarazi Learn more about Sophie Halaby Episode Chapters: 00:00:00 The apple seeds recipe her grandmother never got to share 00:00:33 Introducing Samia Halaby 00:02:00 Born in 1936, the year of the Arab Revolt 00:03:15 Growing up in Palestine: 11 years of visual wonder 00:05:30 Synesthesia: seeing color and shape in sound 00:10:15 Her grandmother: role model, matriarch & the autobiography Apple Seeds 00:12:30 Witnessing the Nakba: her father injured in Jaffa, January 1948 00:14:45 How she became an artist — "I backed into it" 00:17:00 Rejecting self-expression: art as craft, not therapy 00:21:30 Nature, Islamic architecture & the evolution of her abstract work 00:28:00 "Palestine is the Anvil" — the painting behind her 00:30:00 Documenting the Kafr Qasem Massacre through drawing 00:35:45 Gaza and Massacre of the Innocents (2024) 00:38:15 Political posters: pro-Palestine propaganda and activism 00:48:00 Pioneering computer art in the 1980s — and why AI is a hard no 00:53:30 Academia, galleries & who really decides what art matters 00:57:15 Indiana University censorship & Michigan State's removal of Six Golden Heroes 01:01:15 Black is Beautiful (1969) and its Venice Biennale appearance in 2024 01:05:00 Message to young Palestinian artists: "Be confident. Don't let them stop you."
