Muhammad Rakouie

Muhammad Rakouie taught himself how to draw with the materials he could acquire while imprisoned in the notorious Ashkelon prison in Israel – crayon and cut pillowcase linen. Palestinian artists were prohibited from using the colors of their flag or making overt reference to their struggle for liberation and autonomy. The design elements within his smuggled paintings refer to Soviet abstraction and Social Realism. He risked great pain and additional punishment by creating these images, which stylize prison life and captivity. He now lives in a refugee camp in Damascus, Syria.