• Leila Abdelrazaq

  • 2018

Artist's Website

Grant Summary
Fellowship.
Keywords
Artist Statement
I am a Palestinian author, artist, and activist whose work sits at the intersection of comix illustration and printmaking. Born in Chicago and based in Detroit, my work explores issues that most impact my daily life, such as diaspora and refugee experience, history, memory, and borders. I also run a small press and distro, Bigmouth Press & Comix, which is dedicated to uplifting work by fellow womxn and non-binary comix artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. In 2019, I will begin work on my second full-length graphic novel. I am also currently pursuing my MA in Middle East & North African Studies, with research focusing on issues related to iconography in Arab art, media, and cultural production. I am dedicated to creating unapologetically political work that defies simple sloganeering, sparking necessary critical conversations in the Palestinian community. At the heart of my work is a drive to tell stories from and for Palestinian diaspora communities.

  • Excerpt from The Opening 2017, Leila Abdelrazaq, Pen and ink on paper. Courtesy of the artist.

  • Excerpt from Baddawi 2015, Leila Abdelrazaq, Pen and ink on paper. Courtesy of the artist.

  • Excerpt from The Fig Tree 2017, Leila Abdelrazaq, Pen, ink, marker, and paint pent on paper. Courtesy of the artist.

  • Excerpt from Smuggling Books Across the Border 2015, Leila Abdelrazaq, Pen and ink on paper. Courtesy of the artist.