Yusef Boys (2024)

Susanne Khalil Yusef captures memories in material forms and amplifies stories of the Palestinian people: stories often suppressed or forgotten. In Yusef Boys, the artist presents multiple heads cast in aluminium and bronze, placed on the floor and on ceramic pedestals. The faces represent Palestinian boys who lost their lives through colonial or Israeli violence. As a counterweight to the horrors unfolding in Gaza, Khalil Yusef creates installations that appear playful and colourful at first sight. However, their exuberant colours do not conceal the underlying themes of threat, violence, displacement and loss. Through this contrast, her works both entice and confront, making memory physically present.