New Visions

Biography

The First Intifada (1987) was a historical moment of unity and collective struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestine. During this period, artists Sliman Mansour, Vera Tamari, Nabil Anani and Tayseer Barakat were faced with the futility of trying to produce a faithful visual narrative of the scenes of confrontation, heroism, death and destruction that prevailed. The group had been founders and members of the League of Palestinian Artists, which led the collective propagation of art as a tool for spreading political activism, resistance and public awareness in Occupied Palestine. In forming New Visions, the group sought to address a more avant-garde outlook on how art can serve the national struggle, without compromising each artist’s individual expressive style. In the spirit of self-reliance, as dictated by the Intifada, the artists have worked with locally inspired media such as mud, straw and henna. New Visions’ exhibitions have travelled within Palestine and around the world.