Turkish artist’s 30-foot painting in Istanbul highlights Gaza’s suffering

Turkish painter Kasım Tan depicts the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to raise awareness about the attacks carried out by Israel on the enclave.

Tan created a 9-meter by 3-meter (30-foot by 10-foot) painting titled “Gaza” in front of the Üsküdar Valide-i Cedid Mosque in Istanbul to support Palestinians through his work, the Turkish Daily Sabah reported.

Inspired by Picasso’s “Guernica,” Tan expressed concern as a young artist about depicting the horror of the situation.

“I had a concern about expressing the horror I experienced. We prepared our canvas. Then we placed it here and started drawing,” he added.

After the attacks by Israel on Gaza on Oct. 7, Tan went into seclusion to ponder: “What can I do against this genocide?”

When he emerged, he decided to create his piece.

The young artist said he mostly creates portraits, but in his Gaza piece, he wanted to depict the striking facial expressions of the Gazan people.

Tan plans to work around the clock in a tent during the final week of the project to finish the painting.

He wants to infuse hope into the work while carefully considering figure placement and perspective.

Despite the challenges of integrating sketches, he is dedicated to crafting a significant piece, and transferring his long-term series onto a large canvas is demanding, but he is committed to creating something captivating.

The artist has received positive reactions from those watching him in Uskudar Square.