“Diary of the Usual Sadness is a series of vanitas still lifes created during the pandemic between 2020-21. The title of this series is borrowed from a book of prose written by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, first published in Beirut in1973. These probing essays ask pressing questions about the complex realities thePalestinians face under occupation and the ambiguity of Darwish’s own identity.

The solitude of a studio practice is a place for wandering thoughts. It is too painful to think about the histories of Palestine, yet they always occupy my mind. The thoughts that perplex me on a daily basis seem too intricate and tiresome for visual translation. For this reason, I would rather create paintings of flowers.Admiring and attempting to capture their delicate beauty softens the internalized pain and survivors guilt. The glimpses of excitement I get when the right colour combinations come together are a welcomed pause from the usual sadness.” — Ibrahim Abusitta, July 2021