Samia Halaby, an 88-year-old acclaimed abstract artist and pioneer of digital art, has garnered significant attention recently due to both her artistic achievements and the challenges she has faced in her career. Born in Jerusalem in 1936, like so many others, Halaby became a refugee during the 1948 Nakba when she was forced to flee to Lebanon. Though she no longer lives there, her ties to the area run deep. She goes back to her birthplace often and even moved back into her old home, which has since morphed into a “taste of Israel” eatery.
Halaby has lived in her current rent-stabilized building in Tribeca, New York, since 1976, a rarity in Manhattan. As the neighborhood experiences waves of gentrification, Halaby finds herself more and more creating her work with upheaval as a backdrop. Exhibited internationally, she is one of the pioneering voices in the field of digital art. More recently, these events have suddenly thrown her into the limelight for reasons apart from her artistic contribution and accomplishments.
In December 2023, Indiana University canceled what would have been the first American retrospective exhibition of Halaby’s work at the Eskenazi Museum of Art. News accounts suggest that the museum did not want to be perceived as promoting anything sympathetic to Palestine. It was this strong desire that shaped their winning decision. Michigan State University then abruptly canceled the opening party for Halaby’s solo retrospective. They confiscated her mural “Six Golden Heroes” that depicts the ongoing struggle of Palestinian political prisoners to escape.
In lieu of an in-person response to her complaint, Halaby received a form letter from the museum’s director. It simply told her she was no longer welcome, citing undefined security reasons. This abrupt cancellation reflects a broader trend among institutions navigating the complex political landscape surrounding Palestinian issues and artistic expression.
“This is polarization. The people who were good were always good. Nobody’s changed; everybody’s become more extreme.” – Samia Halaby
Despite these setbacks, Halaby’s resilience shines through. Her steadfast devotion to creative expression has not gone unnoticed. She is the 2025 honoree of the Munch Award for Artistic Freedom! This accolade is about more than her undeniably powerful artistry; it’s indicative of her ambition to be a voice for marginalized communities in America.
Halaby has struggled with the idea of going back to live in her ancestral home for good. As a member of the Palestinian diaspora, she faces legal forces that thwart her return to her homeland and birthright. This heart-breaking situation is severely burdening her soul. Here, she considers the larger questions that her experience as an exile and as an artist raise.
“One has to learn to think on a more general level.” – Samia Halaby
Her wisdom is rooted not just in her own experience, but it speaks to the larger challenges artists are grappling with today across the globe. Halaby urges audiences to recognize the world reflected in their art, stating, “They recognize the world they live in in them.”
As she continues to plot her course through this complex landscape, Halaby has not lost her passion for the work. She emphasizes the scientific principles behind her art, saying, “I take it very seriously. I know the science of light, the physics of light… how we see the attributes of colour, how to manage colour.”
Halaby’s story is about more than personal hardship. It shows the amazing capacity of art to be a vehicle for social protest and cultural representation. Over her lifetime, she’s witnessed a tremendous shift in societal attitudes. She continues, rightly, to point out that art is still very much a front in ideological wars.
“Oh, the British, we can divide into the beautiful people who are on the streets, holding the signs that get them arrested, and the government. And I think, clearly, the moral high ground is with the people; they’re adorable in this respect.” – Samia Halaby