Raed Issa is a contemporary Palestinian visual artist whose life and creative output embody the urgent spirit of Gaza today. A diploma holder in Computer Science and a founder of the Fine Art Program at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Issa has dedicated decades to building Gaza's artistic community. As a key figure in Gaza’s first contemporary art collective, Eltiqa, and with his work displayed from Palestine to Europe, Australia, and international platforms like Documenta Fifteen, he weaves personal loss into collective memory.

Since the destruction of his home and studio in both the 2014 and the most recent wars, Issa and his family have lived displaced in a tent. Yet, undeterred, he continues to create—turning tea, hibiscus petals, and charcoal into poignant acts of remembrance and resistance. His art speaks to themes of vulnerability, loss, and survival under siege, inviting viewers everywhere to bear witness and stand in solidarity with Gaza’s people. Issa’s ongoing commitment to making and teaching art in dire conditions, and his ability to transform daily pain into beauty and advocacy, makes him a vital voice of the moment.