“Dabke,” Art, Taleen Muhanna

“Dabke,” Taleena Muhanna, 2026.

“Dabke” reflects both devastation and resilience. Much of the painting is filled with grey ruins and damaged buildings, echoing the destruction surrounding everyday life in Gaza. At the center, however, figures dressed in brightly colored traditional clothing dance Dabke, a communal Palestinian folk dance that symbolizes connection, endurance, and cultural memory.

By placing celebration and tradition within a shattered landscape, Taleen Muhanna shows how culture survives even in moments of profound loss. Several of the buildings in the painting are drawn from real places in her life, including her grandparents’ home after it was bombed. Including these spaces preserves their memory and transforms the painting into both an act of mourning and an act of resistance.

Taleen Muhanna is a Palestinian painter from Gaza whose work explores memory, identity, and cultural heritage. Her GoFundMe which helps her and her family survive during the IOF’s ongoing genocide can be found at this link.