The feminist art movement and Palestinian women artists

The feminist art movement emerged in response to unequal representation of women artists within art spaces as well as against patriarchal representation of women in dominant art works. Although the movement initially gained momentum in the West during the 1960s, feminist art perspectives have become influential across the world since then. Following its inception, the feminist art approach not only remained focused on gender roles but critically questioned the relationship between art and power from a wider perspective. Feminist art approaches have not only offered a critique but also novel, alternative and constructive methods which also provide us analytical tools to grasp and examine artworks created by Palestinian female artists. On the one hand, Palestinian female artists like Mona Hatoum, Emily Jacir, Dina Mattar, Rana Samara and Layan Shawabkeh question dialectics of oppression. On the other hand, these artists also engender a new visual language about challenges faced by the Palestinian women such as the war, forced migration, violence and womanhood.