Bosla Arts’ second artists-in-residence: Palestinian artists Rand Hamdallah and Shahd Itbakhi

In 2025, Bosla Arts were proud to announce our second artist residency programme, welcoming Palestinian artists Rand Hamdallah and Shahd Itbakhi.

Rand Hamdallah spent six months in London as Bosla Arts’ artist-in-residence, where she focused on developing her practice within the city’s vibrant creative community. As part of her residency, Hamdallah completed a course at The Royal Drawing School and worked closely with Bosla Arts to contribute to its programming.

For the first time, Bosla Arts is also introduced an online residency programme. Palestinian artist Shahd Itbakhi participated remotely, completing a three-month intensive course at The Royal Drawing School while engaging virtually with Bosla Arts and its wider network.

Hamdallah and Itbakhi collaborated together to produce That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, a three-day exhibition and series of events exploring the themes of progress and development in a collapsing world. The show took place at House of Annetta in London from 5-7 December 2025.

About the Artists

Rand Hamdallah is an architect by training whose passion lies in graphic design and visual experimentation. Originally from Tulkarm, Palestine, her work merges spatial understanding with explorations of culture and identity. Since graduating in 2020, she has experimented across a range of mediums, including furniture design during a residency at the Qattan Foundation in Ramallah. Currently pursuing a master’s degree in urban sustainability, Hamdallah’s practice increasingly examines the dynamic relationship between urban life, spaces, language, and movement, using both digital and traditional media to document and reinterpret the Palestinian context.

Shahd Itbakhi is an artist and conservator born in Hebron in 1997. She holds a BA in Contemporary Arts from Dar Al-Kalima University. Itbakhi’s practice centres on the concepts of time, memory, and the layered experiences that shape human identity, both individual and collective. Her work explores the relationship between people and their environments, investigating how repetitive and extraordinary events influence perceptions of stability and turbulence. She also delves into the psychological and demographic shifts within local communities, offering nuanced reflections on personal, cultural, and political change.