The last thing that Yasser Dahlan the teacher of art education and painter expected was getting rid of his brushes and oil paints and replacing them with the profession of carpentry amidst the hardships of living under siege in Gaza.
In the old days Yasser used to spend his time between painting making sculptures and murals and teaching high school students art education but he recently abandoned art as he got busy with making his own living.
Artist Yasser Dahlan works as a teacher at Ezz Ibn Abdelsalam school and receives half of his salary as do thousands of teachers at the Ministry of Education who the Palestinian consensus government has been refusing to pay their (full) salaries for years.
A rising artist
Yasser Dahlan 33 began his arts career since he was young. He then moved to sculpture and wall sculpture making and later tried to introduce movement and lighting into his 3D sculpture designs.
Dahlan told the PIC “I painted figures portraits and burning wood. I belong to the Impressionist School which gives the painting the impression of the artist and sometimes we call it the influential school because of the influence of color and light in the painting.”
Dahlan participated in many local exhibitions and presented works of his own and these exhibitions were often under his supervision at the Ministry of Education where he works as a teacher. He joined the field of animation yet he had to stop due to the poor living conditions and the siege of Gaza.
The paintings and works of Dahlan reflect the pulse of everyday life in Gaza and the Palestine question. He follows-up international online art sites to learn the latest techniques trying to quote and innovate.
“Unfortunately there is no appreciation for artists in Gaza at present and I regret to note that some artists with modest works were given attention only because they know ‘important people’. Artists should be known by their paintings only (and not due to connections).”
Arts and carpentry
In the past Dahlan thought repeatedly of resigning from his job to devote himself to arts yet he changed his mind following the escalation of the siege and the intensification of crises. The limited number of paintings he sold is not even an option now.
He adds “A while ago a friend asked me to make chairs for him with artistic touches. This encouraged me to publish a sponsored advertisement. After that and following some requests by customers I began making chairs beds and tables by using woods used for carrying goods.
In the hallway leading to Dahlan’s house wooden boxes are piled up in preparation for cutting and using them in carpentry while his small workshop is crammed with half-finished chairs and ready-to-be-painted chairs.
He notes “I made chairs and children’s beds of different layers as well as tables adding my artistic touch. Now I am trying to insert decorations on top of them because my relationship with wood is old since the time of burning paintings and formative arts.”
Frustration and interruption
Dahlan’s artistic work has been interrupted except for some requests from friends who ask him to paint their personal pictures. People in Gaza he says appreciate arts but today they can’t afford buying food.
Yasser is apparently frustrated of the future of his arts. His dream was to devote himself to arts and painting but today he finds himself forced to work in a carpentry workshop which provides him with a little money after he has abandoned arts in the search of an alternative that helps him live in dignity.
