Malak Mattar, a 25-year-old self-taught Gazan artist, has become the first Palestinian to receive a solo exhibition at London's Central Saint Martins (CSM). After winning a scholarship for a Master's in Fine Art at CSM, she was trapped in Gaza until October 6, 2023, the day before the Hamas attack and subsequent Israeli invasion. Her show, opening May 15 at Window Galleries, features powerful works like 'No Words' (2024), a monochrome canvas likened to Picasso's Guernica, and 'Gaza's Phoenix' (2025), a colorful collage symbolizing resilience. Mattar has also faced institutional challenges, including a lack of public solidarity from the University of the Arts London (UAL) regarding Gaza and financial disparities compared to Ukrainian students.
This exhibition matters because it marks a historic milestone for Palestinian representation at a prestigious London art school, amplifying voices from a region often marginalized in Western art institutions. Mattar's work directly confronts the human cost of the war in Gaza, where she lost relatives, and her journey from being prevented from leaving Gaza to showing internationally underscores the political barriers faced by Palestinian artists. The show also highlights ongoing tensions between art institutions and their responsibilities toward artists from conflict zones, as Mattar publicly criticized UAL for not expressing solidarity with Gaza while it had done so for Ukraine.