DescriptionThese illustrations are part of Palestinian-American artist Mary Hazoun’s “The Art of Weeping” Collection, which she began producing in 2017. Hazboun’s sketches intertwine the personal with the political: retelling her experiences of violence and war. The empty backgrounds direct the viewers’ attention to the figures that Hazboun has drawn within a constrained military-occupied space. You, the viewer, must study the body language and facial expressions of each illustrated individual in order to gain insight into their personal experience. Hazboun states, ‘Their cramped postures are due to physical, mental, and emotional restraints, in which some of these bodies appear deformed, paralyzed, and/or frozen in time.” Hazboun re-trains the viewer’s gaze to consider the identity and emotion of each subject outlined in black marker. She highlights the subtle and quiet mourning that Palestinians endure, and gives space on the page to consider how each figure experiences their own, restricted lives.