(14 May 2014) Gazan artist Ismail Dahlan has never been to his parents' home village but his paintings evoke life in the village.
His family is from Hamama, a former Palestinian town in what is now Israel.
His family fled to the Gaza Strip in the war that led to Israel's establishment in 1948. Dahlan has never seen his parents' village yet paints the stories they have told him about it.
His colourful works depict the characters, customs and daily life of the place.
"I start to draw a picture in my mind of the towns that I cannot reach, through information obtained from my parents and my grandfather, and I start to imagine how my country looks and the people's daily habits, which I cannot reach and see," says Dahlan.
Dahlan is among millions of descendants of refugees who on May 15 will mark the 66th year since the war that led to the creation of the state of Israel, known as the "nakba", or catastrophe, the term they use to describe the displacement, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes during the fighting.
And as a resident of the Gaza Strip, which is under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade, Dahlan's movement is restricted.
He must be granted a permit to leave Gaza through Israel. Although Dahlan's paintings are being exhibited at a gallery in the West Bank, he will not see them displayed there because he has not been given a permit to travel.
"It was our hope to participate in the exhibit and it is the first time we will present our work but we are surprised by the decision that we are prevented from travelling," says Dahlan.
He says Israel did not grant him a permit based on age restrictions.
The Israeli military, which is responsible for granting permits, declined to comment on camera.
But a spokesman says there are no official age limitations and that movement is often restricted for people who Israel deems a security risk.
The exhibit's organisers were not aware what the reason was behind Dahlan's refused entry.
The exhibit in Ramallah is showcasing the work of over 40 artists from Gaza in a bid to highlight their creations.
Organisers says about a dozen of the participating artists were granted permits to attend the exhibit, half of the number of artists who applied for entry.
Organisers says they were unsure as to why some were granted entry and others were not.
They says they hoped the exhibit would give the artists' work some much needed exposure.
"While visiting Gaza I realised that the siege on Gaza is effecting the artist extremely hard and harsh, most of them could not sell their paintings for long periods of time. Most of the artists could not leave Gaza to visit markets like Dubai or New York or London or even Ramallah," says Samir Hleileh, one of the exhibit's organisers.
While many of the artists whose work is being displayed at the gallery from May 11-21, are unable to appear at the exhibit itself, their work, bold, vibrant and deeply meaningful, may speak for itself.
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