About Us

My name is Ursula Imran Alsous-Nüssli. I was born in Switzerland and grew up on a farm in a small village between Swiss Alps and forests. Life was peaceful and space knew no bounds … I could walk for days without encountering any obstacles, and when I did, they were natural: a river I couldn’t cross, or a mountain I couldn’t climb. That was the only life I knew before I went to Palestine. For the next 25 years, I lived alongside Palestinians, a life without safety, without freedom, and riddled with man-made obstacles.

I was trained as a Chef, and I went to Jerusalem in pursuit of adventure and a career. I was young and passionate about travelling and learning about cultures foreign to me. That’s how I was first introduced to Palestinian culture and delicious oriental food. While in Jerusalem I started a family with a Palestinian man, and we had four daughters. Our children were born, raised and for the most part educated in Jerusalem. Their lives traversed those of Palestinians, Israelis and Swiss and we tried, as much as possible, to increase their exposure to all cultures, religions and languages. They each chose a way to immerse and express themselves in this immensely multicultural world. Painting and drawing was one such way, and these were always hobbies I had in common with my children.

 

Myself, my daughter Besan (18 yrs), and Maysam (14 yrs) have taken these hobbies to the next level with continued and dedicated practice. Art has become a passion that unites the three of us. We do art together. We support and inspire each other. We have explored the theme of creating expressive paintings, 3D sculptures on canvas and textile work with abstract color schemes and textural relief elements. Our intention is to convey some of our impressions about our home country, to convey the constant yearning for peace and seemingly endless conflict in Palestine, to convey our love and appreciation of animals, landscapes, and abstract art. Some of our work is based on realism; a photo reference or a direct viewing or sighting that is then abstracted and formed into an interpretive work. Other express our broad imagination and inspirations of different cultures and worlds. Our art is produced so as to evoke thoughtfully intended emotions in the audience. The different uses of media, color and composition together create stories that we aim to tell through our art.

 

Through our artwork we aim to simulate and stimulate the emotional distress that Palestinians experience on a daily basis. Although the running theme of some artwork is Palestinian distress under Israeli occupation, we mostly create works composed of vivid colors conveying the unhampered hope in the heart of the Palestinians and those who live in Jerusalem and continue to yearn for better times. We hope our work inspire such hope in your hearts also!