Osama Said

Osama Said was born in 1957 in the small town of Nahaf, located between Lower and Upper Galilee. He grew up in the wonderful Galilee, between Oliver trees, the Mediterranean Sea and Sea of Galilee. In 1974 he took courses at Art Academy Bezalel in Jerusalem and continued his career in art with a degree in fine arts in Berlin. In the early 1980s, he packed up his family’s history via stories handed down by his grandfather and images of the region’s natural landscapes and left for Germany. After graduating with high honors from Hochschule der Künste, he was granted several scholarships, awards, and residencies that encouraged and expanded his artistry whilst allowing his stay in Germany to last 16 years. Having painted for years while abroad with only memories of Palestine, Said was struck by the painful reality of Palestinian life upon his return. As a result of his discoveries, Said’s work portrays the different faces of nature. Upon closer examination, however, viewers will find several layers of color that present themes of memory and forgetfulness; identity and alienation; illusion and reality. The painting of the Palestinian landscape that appears in most of his drawings attests to the loss of Palestinian land in 1948 and the continuous political reality of struggle over the land. Said currently lives and works in Berlin.