Rehaf Al Batniji is a Palestinian visual artist and photographer from Gaza, currently based in France. Self-taught in a place where access to formal art education was nearly impossible, she developed her artistic practice through deep observation, experimentation, and a relentless commitment to storytelling. Her work explores memory, displacement, and the fragile relationship between personal and collective history.
Through her projects, Al Batniji navigates the intersection of photography, archival material, and documentary practice, questioning the role of images in preserving identities under constant threat. In Original Copy (2)a photographic archive spanning over a decade, she examines how everyday photographs in Gaza become urgent documents of existence, capturing lives in a space fractured by violence and loss. Meanwhile, Fables of the Sea reflects on Gaza’s coastline, where the sea, once a refuge, is now a contested space of survival and uncertainty.
Her work has been shown internationally, including at the 2024 Venice Biennale (When Solidarity is Not a Metaphor), the exhibition These Voices That Besiege Me at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, Tasweer Photo Festival in Doha, and her solo exhibition Unsent Postcards from Gaza at the French Institute in Cairo. She has also exhibited at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Gulf Photo Plus Dubai, Farc Gallery in Metz, and Arles, with publications in Le Monde diplomatique and Libération.
Beyond her artistic practice, Al Batniji has been deeply involved in fostering creative spaces for emerging artists in Gaza, dedicating over a decade to mentoring young creatives. Through her lens, she continues to challenge dominant narratives, using photography as both a form of resistance and a means of preserving what history often seeks to erase.
