Artist Lana Awad uses art to draw attention to women’s issues

Palestinian artist Lana Awad uses art to bring forth the issues faced by women in society. She has drawn cartoon characters since her childhood.

REFIF ESLEEM

Gaza-Palestinian young artist Lana Awad has drawn attention to women’s issues, condemned domestic violence against women, made women visible through art.

The 24-year-old young artist drew pictures before becoming interested in cinema. She is now a well-known cartoonist drawing cartoon characters of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Mona Lisa and her artworks have been shared on many online platforms. She also makes efforts to focus on not only women’s issues but also social issues; she drew the Lebanese flag on her body after the 2020 Beirut explosion.

She began to draw cartoon characters

When Lana Awad was 11 years old, her artistic journey began. She first drew cartoon characters on her hands. She told us her first drawings were bad but she did not give up and developed herself by working hard. “Developing my skills was very difficult for me. There were no teachers to teach me this art so I watched online videos to improve my skills. After implementing what I watched, I realized that I made a serious improvement in my drawings,” she said.

She spends three hours to draw a cartoon character

“Surely, there are differences between drawing the Mona Lisa and a white tiger. Each requires different skills,” she told us that she spends about three hours to draw a cartoon character. Lana Awad is inspired by the artworks of Mimi Choi, a professional makeup artist based in Vancouver, Canada. She often imitates her works to develop her skills.

She highlighted that she faces difficulties in finding materials for her art in the Gaza Strip due to ongoing siege and economic crisis. “The difficulties in finding materials for my art affect my art. But despite all challenges, I never give up and go to my studio in order to focus on my artworks,” she told us.

Graduating from the university as a nurse, Lana Awad dreams of displaying her artworks in the international area and working with famous artists and cartoonists. She is determined to follow her dreams.

She performed her art for NuJINHA in the video below.