Yara Kassem Mahajena
Yara Kassem Mahajena (b. 1993) is a Palestinian multidisciplinary artist and lecturer. She is the co-founder of Shahinat Burtuqal, the first contemporary digital platform dedicated to connecting Palestinian artists both locally and across the diaspora, And Al Mi'sara, The Palestinian Contemporary Art Forum. Yara's work delves into the exploration of trauma, with a recent emphasis on political trauma and its relation to animal resistance in Palestine.
She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree (both with honors) from Haifa University, a degree in Community Art (with honors) from Beit Berl College, and a degree in Leadership, Project Management, and Politics (with honors) from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, USA. Currently, Yara teaches at Haifa University and has held roles as a public relations coordinator at Givat Haviva Art Gallery, project coordinator at Bezalel Academy, and the Umm Al Fahm Art Gallery Excellence Center for Arts and Design.
Her academic experience includes teaching foreign language through art as a Fulbright adjunct lecturer at Mercy College in New York and teaching politics in arts as an adjunct lecturer at Haifa University. Yara has participated in and curated art exhibitions both within Historic Palestine and internationally. Her residency experiences include The Nomad Curator in Cairo, Egypt; The Gästeatelier Krone in Aarau, Switzerland; and The BS Projects in Braunschweig, Germany.
