Khaled Jarrar was born in Jenin, Occupied Palestine in 1976. He studied interior design at Palestine Polytechnic University in 1996. Upon graduating, he smuggled himself to work as a carpenter in Nazareth, living as an underground “illegal” worker. In 1998 Jarrar enlisted in military training, which resulted in working for Arafat as a personal bodyguard until Arafat’s death in 2004. Attempting to create a life between the military and an artistic practice, Jarrar entered the field of photography in 2005. Jarrar graduated from the International Academy of Art – Palestine in 2011 and completed an MFA from the University of Arizona in 2019. A multidisciplinary artist, Jarrar explores modern power struggles and their sociocultural impact on ordinary citizens through highly symbolic photographs, videos, film, and performative interventions. His “State of Palestine” project was featured at the 7th Berlin Biennale.
