A new exhibition by Turkish artist Ahmet Yusuf Aygec blending the experiences of Palestinians with the poetry of Palestine's national poet Mahmoud Darwish has opened at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Titled "Posters to the Olive Tree in Exile," it features 20 works created with colored pencils and soft pastels.
Curated by Samed Karagoz and supported by the Palestine office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the collection explores themes of human suffering, resistance and daily life in Palestine through visual art accompanied by verses from Darwish's poetry.
The opening ceremony was attended by Palestinian Culture Minister Imad Hamdan, Turkish Deputy Consul General in Jerusalem Aleyna Karasac, representatives of TIKA's Palestine office, the Yunus Emre Institute in Ramallah and members of the Palestinian arts community.
Aygec was unable to attend the opening after Israel did not grant him a visa.
Hamdan told Anadolu that the exhibition was significant because it brought Darwish's poetry to life through the work of a Turkish artist.
He said the posters portray "messages of resistance, captivity, martyrdom and faith," reflecting Palestinians' attachment to their homeland "like an olive tree," and that each work seeks to convey the Palestinian cause to the international community.
Referring to Aygec's inability to travel to Ramallah, Hamdan said Israel did not want "a witness" to stand alongside Palestinians on their land but added that the artist's message from Türkiye had nevertheless reached Palestine through his artwork.
Curator Karagoz said the exhibition draws inspiration from the rich Palestinian poster tradition of the 1960s and 1970s which influenced graphic artists across Europe. He noted that the exhibition's title was adapted from Darwish's phrase, "Letters to the Olive Tree in Exile."
Karagoz said Aygec spent about a year completing the collection and that all but one of the works include quotations from Darwish's poems, writings or speeches.
He described exhibiting the works at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum as "a source of pride" and said presenting them to Palestinian audiences was especially meaningful.
Karagoz also recounted logistical difficulties in bringing the exhibition to Ramallah. Fearing the original artworks could be damaged or confiscated, organizers initially shipped limited-edition prints, but they were held at customs and returned in unusable condition. As a result, the exhibition had to be printed locally with support from TIKA.
Having followed developments in Palestine for many years, Karagoz said daily life in the West Bank has become increasingly difficult due to tighter checkpoint restrictions and fuel shortages, making travel nearly impossible for many Palestinians.
The exhibition will remain open to visitors at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah through Aug. 2.
