From Jerusalem to Oslo: Samia Halaby Wins the 2025 MUNCH Award for Artistic Freedom

The MUNCH Award was established in 2024 and awarded by the MUNCH Museum in Oslo, Norway, to recognize and celebrate artists whose work exemplifies courage, integrity, and a commitment to freedom of expression. The award is explicitly intended to shine a light on the artist’s role as a “critical voice in society,” especially at a time when artistic freedom is under increasing political, social, or institutional pressure.1

The award is named after Norwegian painter and printmaker Edvard Munch (1863–1944), who in his time was known for experimentation, individual liberation, and pushing boundaries in art. The museum is continuing his legacy by supporting freedom, dialogue, and experimentation.

Samia’s advocacy for artistic freedom of expression comes through both her artistic practice and her public stance as a scholar and activist. She has consistently pushed the boundaries of abstraction, insisting on pursuing experimental directions even when they fall outside mainstream art markets.

But even more potently, the recognition resonates deeply with Samia, as it is a tribute to a lifelong journey that has been shaped by the displacement from her Jerusalem home during the 1948 Nakba, and her determination to keep Palestinian identity and memory alive through art.

Jerusalem has remained at the heart of Samia’s vision. Though forced into exile, she has often described the city’s light, geometry, and rhythms as formative influences on her abstract paintings. Her work captures both the physical landscapes of Jerusalem and the emotional landscapes of dispossession and resilience.

Some of her exhibitions have been canceled or challenged due to her outspoken pro-Palestinian stance. Most recently, her exhibition Centers of Energy, which was planned for over two years and scheduled to open on February 10, 2024, at Indiana University,2 was canceled in late December 2023 via a short, two-sentence letter from the museum director.3 Then, Michigan State University (MSU), which is Samia’s alma mater, canceled the opening party of her planned solo retrospective.4 MSU also removed her piece Six Golden Heroes, which refers to the escape of Palestinian political prisoners.5

Rather than retreating, Samia has publicly denounced such acts as threats to artistic freedom. She frames censorship as a structural issue tied to politics and colonial histories, which limits not only her voice but also the visibility of other marginalized artists. She argues that freedom of expression is not only the right to make art but also the right for that art to be exhibited, discussed, and seen—especially when it addresses controversial or political issues.

With this year’s award, Samia joins a growing list of Palestinian artists who are honored for their resilience and commitment to freedom of expression.