Safaa OOdah

By LatAm ARTE

Safaa Odah is a Palestinian cartoonist and digital artist based in Gaza. Unlike most artists who discover their love for art at a young age, Safaa Odah realised her passion for drawing when she was in college. Back then, she was studying household economics and education in Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. Throughout her lectures, she caught herself doodling with a pencil in her notebook margins as a way to pass time. Drawing, however, was simply a side hobby, and after graduating, she looked for jobs in her field of study. Unfortunately, she had no luck due to Israel's blockade's on Gaza, and remained unemployed: a stressful position to be in. Surprisingly, her lack of employment allowed her more time to work on her drawings and to hone her skills. In 2009, she decided to pursue art seriously. Later, she made the jump from traditional pencil and paper to using a drawing tablet to create digital art. Inspired by the art of her fellow Palestinian caricature artists, such as Naji al-Ali, Safaa, too, seeks to portray the human experience through art that criticizes societal norms and political decisions. Her most recent artwork on the right of return garnered the emotions of millions online who liked, re-shared and re-posted them.

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Safaa OOdah