Untitled

Thistles in Palestine, photographed on Kodak 200 film and developed using rainwater. This work continues I Died a Thousand Times (2024), which traces the cycles of life and death within the Palestinian landscape, focusing on wild thistle plants that cover the sacred hills of central Palestine from early spring to late summer. Each thistle carries within its hues fragments of familial memory, weaving together dreamlike accounts, personal narratives, and surreal encounters. Through this process, the work unearths and forges new connections between Palestinians and their land.

Ahmed Alaqra is an artist, curator, and architect whose practice explores the aesthetics of power embedded in everyday life. Working across disciplines, he seeks to disrupt dominant narratives and reshape collective perception through processes of unmaking and unlearning.

He has participated in and curated exhibitions across Europe and the Arab world, including his touring show I Will Write Our Will Above the Clouds, and co-curated Salt-Kissed at Hayy Jameel. His work has been presented at institutions such as the Palestinian Museum, Al Qattan Foundation, Dar Jacir, ICD Brookfield Place, and Spore Initiative.

Ahmed co-founded FANA’ Collective and EL-GORFEH, Palestine’s first community darkroom. His work and writing have appeared in multiple publications, and he co-edited The Black Journal and authored I Died a Thousand Times. He was recently nominated for the Art Here 2025 prize and named one of Frieze’s “10 artists to watch” in 2026.