Ten first names, ten faces, ten lives – eight of them violently killed in a war that has been ravaging the Gaza Strip long before 2023. The exhibition “GAZA” is dedicated to these ten people, not as mere names in statistics, but as individuals with biographies, families, hopes, professions, and dreams.
Seven of them share the fate of being killed by Israeli airstrikes – as civilians, mostly in their homes, in hospitals, or while fleeing. They were artists, parents, teachers, or journalists. They didn't die in combat, but in the everyday lives of Gaza.
The art exhibition “GAZA” by Matthew Collings at the 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 has been extended until 29.8.25.
Each of the ten individuals depicted was previously part of a society under siege, marked by decades of isolation, institutionalized violence, and a daily life under constant threat. What unites them in their deaths is not merely the date or the place, but the fact that they were not forgotten—their names were written, their faces painted, their stories shared. They gave voice to their suffering.
Fadwa. Fatima. Hala. Hiba. Heba. Nour. Mohammed. Saleem. Refaat. & Mosab – Ten first names, ten faces, ten lives – eight of them violently killed by war.
Matthew Collings painted them. His portraits eschew drama, depictions of pain, and political statements. Instead, they seek a silent dialogue with the viewer: through a boy's face, a woman's smile, a poet's gaze. They are memories of people with dreams, desires, and hopes, who were ruthlessly extinguished or who survive in the diaspora.
“They were artists, had children, or were parents, teachers, or journalists. They didn't die in battle, but in everyday life in Gaza.”
Thus, the series becomes a painterly, quiet, reverential form of remembrance – a dignified obituary and appeal in oil on canvas. It is a collective testimony to a reality in which the human face emerges amidst destruction and also accuses – as what it remains: the visible trace of a life that should never have ended.
The exhibition can be seen until August 29, 2025 at the Verena Kerfin Gallery , Köthener Straße 28 in Berlin
About the artist Matthew Collings
In this series of images, the British artist Matthew Collings intensively explores the suffering of the civilian population in Gaza.
Collings' artistic practice is marked by the human loss caused by military violence. He addresses the destruction of families, schools, cultural spaces, and everyday life in his works. Particularly moving are his silent portraits, such as that of the Palestinian artist Heba Zagout , who was killed in an airstrike in 2023 along with two of her children.
What makes Collings' work so powerful? His paintings don't depict direct scenes of war, but rather serene images of loss and disappearance. He uses stories like Zagout's as a starting point to reflect on death, pain, and extinguished lives. In one of her last public appearances, she said that art was her way of expressing Palestinian identity—a sentiment Collings carries on in his work.
“GAZA” is both a protest and a reflection on the cost of war. Collings reminds us that this cost is always paid by civilians with their lives. His art gives the supposedly nameless and forgotten a face and a lasting dignity.
Verena Kerfin Gallery – A space for silent testimonies
In the heart of Berlin's vibrant art scene, the Verena Kerfin Gallery established itself as a venue for critical contemporary positions. Its premises at Köthener Straße 28 in Kreuzberg regularly host exhibitions that extend beyond the realm of art itself.
The gallery, which regularly alternates between international art fairs and local exhibition projects, is currently making an unambiguous statement against forgetting with “GAZA”.
What makes this Berlin gallery particularly distinctive is its courage to present politically sensitive topics not sensationally, but with quiet dignity. The spaces offer a place for reflection and quiet dialogue between viewers and the people portrayed.
The gallery, open Monday to Friday from 12 pm to 6 pm, pursues an ambitious exhibition program . Prior to "GAZA," it presented works such as "Arcadia: Often Dreamt, Seldom Lived" and "Tight and Loose ," illustrating the breadth of its curatorial concept. The Verena Kerfin Gallery makes it clear that art can not only satisfy aesthetic demands but also assume social responsibility.
Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.
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