In July 2025, 25 artists in Gaza staged an exhibition titled "Aphenix" inside a coffee shop in Gaza City, organized by Mohaned Asayas, a student at Al-Aqsa University. The exhibition featured 55 new works created during a month-long workshop that provided a rare space for artistic expression amid the ongoing war, offering materials like soft charcoal, pastel, and acrylic. Artists such as Bisan Al Amasy produced pieces addressing themes of starvation, displacement, bombardment, and loss, using symbolic imagery like a fatigued donkey to represent Gaza City.
This exhibition matters because it represents the first art show held during the war in Gaza, demonstrating the resilience of cultural expression under extreme duress. It highlights how art can serve as a coping mechanism and a form of testimony, channeling collective grief and trauma into visual narratives that demand global attention. The initiative also underscores the destruction of educational and creative infrastructure in Gaza, with universities resuming online teaching after months of suspension and studios destroyed.