Biography
May Grabli is a Palestinian-Israeli artist born in Jaffa. Being born in Jaffa means that May is a "48 Arab" as she does not hold a Palestinian identity card, but an Israeli one. Being a minority in her country of origin has strongly influenced her work which deals with the struggle of understanding one's identity. May's parents moved her family to Ontario, Canada in the early 2000s while the Second Intifada was taking place to try to raise her and her siblings in a more peaceful environment. 5 years later, they returned to Jaffa where May slowly began to learn about her history and embrace her Palestinian roots.
During high school, May completed an A level in Fine Arts and had her first two exhibitions at the age of 18. After graduating university with a degree in Interactive Communications and Entrepreneurship, May decided to return to art and moved to Barcelona to complete a one year Studio Arts program. This move gave May the chance to see things more clearly from a distance and added a layer of confidence in her work, especially in terms of political art which she hesitated to discuss in the past.
Artist Statement
Growing up as a '48 Arab in Israel had me constantly questioning who I was. I simply wanted to blend in with whatever group I was around and tried to avoid conflict whenever possible. I was taught that not being too concerned with politics would make my life easier. Whenever I was asked political questions, I preferred to change the subject because I was afraid of not knowing the correct information and saying something wrong. However, my passion about these topics was never entirely absent, even in times of uncertainty, my emotions were best translated into paintings where I didn't have to hold back. This explains my use of expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colors.
In the beginning of my practice, I painted a lot of portraits, because that is what I always associated with identity. I then shifted to painting bodies as I grew interested in the idea of the male gaze and taboo subjects such as the boundaries of sexuality in my community. After further experimentation, I found that some of my ideas couldn't be expressed in 2D mediums which led me to work with performance and installations.
Exhibitions
Caprice Gallery (2015), Saraya Yaffa (2015), Mutuo Galeria (2019), HütteLAW, Switzerland (2021), Dario Sigismondo Gallery (2022), Hotel Ginebra (2022)