ABSTRACT
Ismail Shammout and Tamam al-Akhal have for years told the Palestinian story through their paintings, which for the most part are considered visual renditions of the trials of their people. On their canvases, they have vividly depicted the suffering, struggle and hope of the Palestinians. Their paintings provide a visual interpretation of objects and themes that stem from their own memories and have evolved to become part of the collective cultural memory of Palestinians. In this chapter, I specifically examine their shared project, Palestine: The Exodus and The Odyssey, a collection of murals that attempts to tell the Palestinian saga. In their work, we see how certain icons that have evolved to represent Palestine emerge visually through their canvas, constructing the Palestinian collective identity and memory.
