Hadil Alsafadi

Hadil Alsafadi is a Palestinian digital artist, architect and illustrator currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. She was born and bred during the intifada. She bases her work on the foundations of what’s been happening in Palestine. Hadil uses her art as a tool to advocate for human rights and social justice of many causes. At the same time, she tries to portray the beauty and history of Palestine as she is very passionate about her culture and her ethnicity. Hadil considers herself to be a storyteller and believes that it is her duty to raise awareness about the issues going on in Palestine.[1]

She first started pursuing art as a hobby from an early age through drawings and sketches. As she carried on with this, it turned into a journey of self-discovery. She now tells stories in a way to reflect the vitality of life to advocate for rightful social movements and to evoke a sense of justice and hope for a change.[2]

Her art pieces are meant to shed a light on the ongoing struggle of the Palestinians, to raise awareness and call for an action to make things right.[3]

Education

Hadil graduated from the Özyeğin University in Turkey where she completed her Master’s in Architectural Sciences.[4]

Collaborative Work

Hadil joined Paliroots on their apparel line in 2022, ‘The Censored Collection’. The line itself came about due to pure anger and frustration within the community from being shut out and silenced because of Palestine. During this time, many artists took their own initiative and expressed their emotions which everyone was feeling but were unable to express as a result of censorship. Pali roots brought together a few of these artists into the making of the apparel to break the censorship and allow their voices to be heard.[5]

Hadils piece in this collection is from an illustration she made trying to capture the suffering of the Palestinians and what they have encountered, since the Nakbah, on one side of a long-sleeved t shirt whilst trying to portray hope and envision the celebration of their liberation and return on the other side.[6]

Paliroots

Founded in 2016, Paliroots are a brand with the purpose of bringing awareness to the world on the Palestinian culture and history. They use their brand to explore, celebrate and share the Palestinian culture in a positive, modern way. They have a line of apparel made from soft cottons, unique materials and hand sewn with a special attention to detail.[7]

Most importantly, Paliroots focus on giving back to communities in Palestine through their meals program and charity projects.[8]

Illustrations

One of Hadils pieces of artwork is an illustration which says, “Until the last 27027 km2”. Showing the hope to return and reclamation of the entire 27,027 square kilometres of original Palestinian lands.[9]

Another one of Hadils illustrations is an image of a baby called Salam (meaning peace). She is a less than 1 month old who was found under the rubble. Salam was the only survivor of her family. The illustration shows a few people holding her in their hands and also her name in both Arabic and English in a way to give recognition. With this post she also added the original video footage of Salam being rescued from underground after the bombings.[10]

Products

Hadil also has her own Etsy shop online where she sells posters and stickers of her artwork. She uses this to pay homage to her homeland that she could never visit.[11]