Art work - May Grabli Art

painting of a breakfast table with several different types of Arab food with little figures dressed in Palestinian traditional clothes interacting with the food on the table

"Palestinian Breakfast" (2023)

The traditional breakfast is finally served. Food and the way it is consumed reveals so much about a culture, it tells us about the land, social roles and norms of a group. Eating together is important in Palestinian culture, we share several dishes of food, share stories from our day, discuss the news and use it as a way to stay informed about the people we love.

photo of a painting with colorful arabesque interior, Moroccan architecture, Arabic Architecture, watermelon, woman wrapped in cloth, striped sofa, tapestry, tatreez, Moroccan tea, high ceilings

"Feminine Solitude" (2023)

The second painting from the "Returning Home" series which attempts to focus on the beauty of Palestinian culture that I grew up with. It's about taking a break from the complicated reality and focusing on the simple and superficial because everyone deserves simplicity. The watermelons which symbolize resistance make another appearance in the corner close to the traditional Tatreez tapestry.

photo of a painting with colorful arabesque interior, Moroccan architecture, Arabic Architecture, watermelon, woman wrapped in cloth, sofa, colorful bed, arches

"The Key of Longing" (2022)

The first painting from the "Returning Home" series which attempts to focus on the beauty of Palestinian culture that I grew up with. It's about taking a break from the complicated reality and focusing on the simple and superficial because everyone deserves simplicity. The watermelon motif makes its first appearance here.

photo of a painting woman wearing long dress sleeping on a bed with half eaten watermelon with a desert behind her and small people walking on the bed. The desert behind here has colorful dunes and pink hues.

"Resistance is Exhausting" (2024)

This painting requires the viewer to have some political context from my region. It is unique to my situation of being a minority in my native land. This piece has many layers but at its core relates to being observed and living in a strange "in-between" reality that is beautiful at the surface, but complex and twisted the deeper you look into it.

photo of a painting with traditional Palestinian sweets in on plates with popular tile work designs in the background. Little people and animals painted around the plates

"Eid at Teta and Sido's" (2025)

Eid is a time of celebration and when you gather with family, get a chance to see distant family members and wear your new clothes. The part where the sweets come out is where the party begins! At my grandparents' home in Yaffa, there is no Eid without Ka3ek masri, hilbeh cake, katayef (my favorite) and a bunch of fruits. A few summers ago close to Eid time, I was reading "Mother of Strangers"

by Suad Amiry at my teta and sido's home. It is a wonderful book about Yaffa and I found myself comparing traditions that we still practice today in the same city and learning about the ones that were sadly lost. I began visualizing all the stories that were happening just a few doors down from where I was sitting.

photo of a painting with striped background and plates of cherry tomatoes, Palestinian fatayer, bowl of labaneh and pickled pink turnips. The painting also has little people painted around the plates

"Playing Between the Lines" (2025)

This piece is playful take on imperfections, both in the physical painting itself and in social structures. This painting is a bit less refined than the others in the series where I've allowed some "mistakes" to remain as they are. The tiny Palestinian workers are attempting to cover these "mistakes" while the better-dressed, more privileged tiny Palestinians are just enjoying themselves by playing "hide and seek".