About me
Hiba G. Isleem
Architect–Artist–Researcher–Filmmaker
Born: 1988, Sharjah, UAE | Base in Salfit,Palestine
Palestinian architect, artist, and researcher working at theintersection of experimental animation, video, archivalpractice, andenvironmental/architectural research. Myprojects draw on family and collective archives to explore howdaily life, memory, and landscapes in Palestine arestructurally altered by occupation, migration, andenvironmental change. My practice integrates stop-motion,installation, sound, and community research—creating immersiveworks that invite audiences to experience transformation,resilience, and new forms of belonging.
Highlights
2025–2026 – Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship – Stuttgart, Germany.
2024 – Prince Claus Seed Award – Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2024 – Ways of Becoming: 25 years with UNIDEE – Cittadellarte, Biella, Italy.
2024 – SAWA SAWA Local Art Residency – Dar Qandeel, Tulkarem, Palestine.
2024 – MMAG Houseguest – Amman, Jordan
2024 – 8th biennale si:n 2024 –Palestine, and France.
2023 – Screenings at:
Casa Árabe, Spain | Cineteca Madrid, Spain | Darat al Funun, Jordan | A.M. Qattan Foundation, Palestine | FD-C, Madrid
2023 – UNIDEE Residency – Cittadellarte, Biella, Italy.
2022, 2025 – Tadafuq Contemporary Art Program – Palestine.
2022 – A.M. Qattan Foundation Visual Arts Studio Residency – Ramallah, Palestine.
2019 – Story “Cookie Hack”, published in Re-Worlding Ramallah anthology. Created during the Palestinian Worldbuilding: Sci-Fi Writing Workshop led by Callum Copley (Bierzeit, Palestine).
Selected Works:
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“Numbers and Squares” (2023–2025): an interactive installation reactivating a 1990s home-recorded game show through touch, archive, and video.
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“Inside the Box” (2025): a 360° immersive video capturing time, prayer, and memory inside a single room under construction.
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“Chock-A: Memory Under the Rubble”(2022,2024): a stop-motion film following an electrical character navigating post-demolition landscapes.
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“Dance of the Dying Roots” (2024): an animation exploring the metaphor of roots under pressure, inspired by “The Dying Swan” ballet.
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“Indomie” (2024): a short video essay revealing the irony of banned instant noodles turning into war aid.
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“M’ata – The Plucker” (2023): a visceral stop-motion loop confronting movement restrictions at checkpoints.
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“Bulldozer” (2022): an archival video work exploring colonial demolition mechanisms in Haifa’s Wadi al-Saleeb.
