Julia Mai

I am Julia Mai, an Iceland based visual artist working primarily with public murals and socially engaged art practices.

Over the past years, my work has centred strongly on Palestine, mainly to raise awareness but also because it is my most natural way of not staying silent. My murals in Iceland have become part of the public visual landscape, including works that have been featured internationally, among others by Al Jazeera. I have also collaborated with initiatives such as WeAreThePeace and created cover artwork for The Reykjavík Grapevine for their Palestine focused issue where my Reykjavik mural was also featured.

Beyond murals, I have taken part in organising fundraisers, public events and demonstrations for Palestine, against the occupation and genocide carried out by “Israel”, sometimes standing alone in protest, sometimes together with hundreds and thousands of others. For me, artistic practice and civic responsibility are not separate.

Speaking publicly has not always been without consequence. I have experienced professional setbacks as a result of taking a clear position. In order to stay true to myself, rather than retreating, I am committing more fully to my art and to building projects that could create lasting public dialogue and awareness. It’s the only way.

So, I am now dedicating my time and artistic energy to make this project possible, and I’m seeking the support that allows it to move from vision to reality.

On a more private or personal note I am a mother of two humans and two fur babies. Besides spending as much time as I can in the swimmingpool I love cooking food I’ve never tried before, walking around with my camera, digging through flea markets and sleeping in. I’m curious about people and how we live and I can get really hyperfocused when learning a new language. I think this curiosity is part of my work as much as it is part of my personal life. My first words besides mamma and pappa were literally “ what are you doing? (Vad gör du? ) And this is what I want people to reflect on with this project, Island to Island, what are we doing?